Richard Holden MP pressed Northern Powergrid, Durham County Council and the Government over their response to Storm Arwen. Following this, energy industry regulator OFGEM and the Government will now conduct a Review into the emergency response, compensation arrangements and future resilience planning. This is to ensure that the slow-paced response and poor communication from Northern Powergrid is not repeated.
Storm Arwen
Storm Arwen saw winds of over 100 mph hit the Northeast. While on the coast trees fell onto power lines, in the Durham & Northumberland Dales the power cut was unusual. The combination of humidity and ice binding onto power lines several inches in diameter, lead to extensive weight on the lines (1/2 ton of weight per line), causing support poles to snap like matchsticks.
Power lines into Eastgate were particularly affected as all three power connections failed in the same way at the same time. The last time total power failure occurred in a similar way was in 1953.
Government
Richard Holden MP first brought the matter to the attention of Government in a Point of Order in Parliament on 30 November. Following that, the Energy Minister visited North West Durham to see for himself the situation on the ground. The Secretary of State for Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy then gave a statement in the House of Commons.
Throughout that week Richard met with them both them in various locations. Including London, Weardale, Teesdale and at the Northern Powergrid call centre to ensure that every assistance was made available to ensure all connections are sorted as soon as possible.
Army Deployment
Despite internally declaring a state of emergency 5 days prior, Norther Powergrid only spoke of the true scale of storm damage the following Wednesday. As a result, Durham County Council’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF) declared a ‘major incident’ and requested central Government to send in the Army. Something Richard and neighbour MP Dehenna Davison had been suggesting for some time. Richard personally called the Armed Forces Minister and they immediately responded with a 100-troop deployment.
The military personnel were based at St John’s Chapel and supported with welfare visits to homes still affected by power cuts. They also worked to improve information and updates on work to restore the power supply and gather feedback for LRF partners on any issues of concern and identify where additional support is required.
Northern Powergrid
Richard Holden and other MPs have been critical of Northern Powergrid’s communications with customers. Scores of constituents wrote to Richard complaining of unmet promised deadlines for return of power and an inability to get through the company.
Northern Powergrid then stepped up their customer welfare provision, such as the provision of hot meals, drinks, refuges and respite to worst affected communities and most vulnerable customers.
Financial Compensation
Richard Holden has been clear with Northern Powergrid that customers must not wait long for their compensation in the run up to Christmas. The Secretary of State for Energy wrote to all power companies reminding them of their duty to pay compensation within ten working days.
Claiming Compensation
Residents whose property was without power on or after Monday 29 November can claim financial assistance from Northern Powergrid. This includes the reasonable costs of alternative accommodation and food. All customers are eligible. Customers are asked to put all expenses in one collective claim to assist with processing. For compensation, please email your claim to: StormArwen@northernpowergrid.com.
Financial Hardship Voucher
Where someone is experiencing immediate financial hardship, and a delay in reimbursement from Northern Powergrid will cause further strain on their finances, Durham County Council can provide a one-off voucher. For a financial hardship voucher please call Durham County Council’s welfare assistance scheme on 03000 267 900.
Help with Storm Damage Repair Costs
The council also operates a Financial Assistance Policy, helping homeowners to improve, repair or adapt their properties. To check if help is available to cover the costs of repairing storm damage, call 03000 260000 or email help@durham.gov.uk.
Comment
Richard Holden said: “While I am pleased that power has now been restored to all residents impacted by Storm Arwen, I know that the wider impact of the outages will be felt for some time still. That is why the Government and I have been very clear with Norther Powergrid over their duty to pay customers compensation in a timely fashion.
“Storm Arwen was met with an initially slow response, but I pay tribute to the armed forces and the engineers on the ground for their sheer hard work in restoring power in such difficult circumstances.
“I have asked the Government to examine the law to ensure that the poor communication from Northern Powergrid and subsequent delay in triggering emergency measures can never happen again. I am pleased that this will now form part of the Review.
“I am continuing to work with Northern Powergrid, Durham County Council and the Government to resolve issues being faced by local residents and businesses. I want to thank the people across North West Durham who came forward to support their neighbours and communities in their time of need. I am very proud North West Durham.”