A STOURBRIDGE MP has said there has been only "very few issues" with insurance companies following the tragic fires in Norton last month.
Stourbridge's MP Cat Eccles says she has been able to push insurances companies "beyond what they normally do" by pressuring them to provide residents with cash upfront.
The blaze, which devastated homes in Stourbridge, prompted Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge, to call for insurers to provide immediate funds to help those displaced by the incident to buy new clothes and items for homes, as they move into rented or temporary accommodation.
Ms Eccles said: "When the PM visited he said no messing about from insurance companies should be happening. He spoke to his treasury ministers, and I spoke with the economics secretary, who put me in touch with the Association of British Insurers (ABI), who put pressure on the insurance companies to do the right thing. and follow the correct frameworks."
Ms Eccles said: "They have been good. There has been a couple of times I've been able to push companies beyond what they would normally do.
"For example, providing some cash upfront for residents, so that they've got new clothes, and things for the home if they are moving into a rental."
She said companies had acted quickly to send out loss adjusters and surveyors so residents could begin rebuilding their lives.
She said: "The insurance companies send out a loss adjustor to assess the damage and then compare that against the policy, and work out a pay-out based on that."
"They have the option whether to take a cash pay-out or they can get their insurer to manage the process going forward in terms of finding an architect."
Ms Eccles stressed that residents were still "grieving" and at "different stages of the process" as they come to terms with the damage.
She also said a "small number of people" were not adequately insured, and efforts are being made to support them.
She said: "We are supporting them as best we can."
"We are still digging through a lot of that, and how they can be supported, and if insurance companies can be a little bit flexible given the small number of people it is."
She also reminded the public that, in addition to the 19 homes destroyed, "a couple of dozen" properties sustained varying levels of damage, and not all residents have been able to return.
The government have not announced a financial support package for affected residents, but the PM did provide additional funding for the fire service and the council.
The MP said: "I have spoken to ministers about what additional support we could provide for people who are in real financial struggle."
Ms Eccles added "We are still looking at that with the ABI and the Treasury as well."
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