Shropshire is to get a share of a £21 million Government grant to help councils across the UK to protect communities against flooding.

The news, announced today by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, will see Shropshire Council handed £135,400 with Telford & Wrekin Council given a share of £117,100. Portions of the grant have been determined on the individual flood risk in each local authority.

Funds will cover the cost for local authorities to carry out new responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Cash is likely to be spent on flood mapping, producing risk management plans and supporting community flood awareness groups.

But council chiefs will have complete flexibility to spend the additional funding as they see fit.

A cash injection for 2011 to 2012 will total £21 million across the UK rising to £36 million for 2012 to 2013.

Councils across the West Midlands region are set to receive a £1.85 million share of the £21 million flood management windfall.

Other councils to benefit include Birmingham, Dudley, Stoke-on-Trent, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Wolverhampton.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “This money will go a long way to help local flood authorities identify and deal with the risk of flooding in their own communities.

“Each local authority can decide where the money will be of most use – it could be used to pay members of staff, to come up with plans for dealing with surface water flooding, or for working with the public on plans for how best to deal with flooding.”

Funding is provided as part of the minimum of £2.1 billion the Government expects to spend on flood and coastal erosion risk management by 2015.

Earlier this year Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury, claimed a new task force could be set up to lobby the Government to combat flooding problems.

He said he wanted the coalition to pay for a wet washlands scheme. It would see the purchase of a section of land along the River Severn upstream from Shrewsbury that would be allowed to flood to minimise problems in the town centre.

Mr Kawczynski said he had written to officials at both Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Council over the project.

The Environment Agency has drawn up proposals in the past for a scheme to construct a barrage between Shrewsbury and Montford Bridge, which would control flood flows.

By Sam Pinnington