Oxfordshire County Council has promised to fight for a share of more than £100m in European Union funding to help communities get back on their feet following last summer's floods.

Sue Scane, chief finance officer of Oxfordshire County Council, vowed to make a "very strong case" for the county to receive some of the £110m awarded to the UK by the EU Solidarity Fund.

The decision to award the grant was confirmed by a plenary session of the European Parliament yesterday, following an application by the UK last August.

It was the first time the UK had applied to the fund since it was set up in 2002 to help member states meet some of the "uninsurable costs" of dealing with natural disasters, including the costs of emergency services, cleaning up and putting infrastructure back into working order.

Floods Recovery Minister John Healey said: "Last summer's floods caused widespread damage and misery for thousands of people. A huge amount of work has gone into getting communities back on their feet, so I very much welcome the European Parliament's decision that the UK will receive this funding to support these efforts.

He added: "No decisions have yet been made how to allocate this money."

Ms Scane, who is also the county council's assistant chief executive, said: "On the face of it this seems like good news. However I strongly suspect Oxfordshire has a number of obstacles to overcome before knowing whether we will receive any of this money.

"We will put up a very strong case, however we will only believe we have won any share when we see it in black and white."