We have been allocated £1.7m from the Government to support a range of businesses, who weren’t eligible for the initial grant scheme put in place in April to support the retail, hospitality, leisure and hospitality sector.

For the first round of applications, businesses that fall within the following categories will be able to apply:

• Bed & Breakfasts who pay Council Tax
• Small or micro businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces
• Regular market traders with fixed building costs
• Charity Shops or outlets in receipt of charitable business rates relief

Councillor Richard Hales, Portfolio Holder for Business & Finance, said:

“We are very aware of the detrimental impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on so many of our local businesses. The Council’s Finance Team has worked tirelessly to ensure that those who are eligible receive this lifeline support. To date more than 90% of businesses qualifying for the government scheme have received almost £30m in grants.”

“However, we know that a number of businesses categories have fallen through the net. It’s important to stress that this is a grant not a loan, so I would therefore urge businesses who may now be eligible to make an application and access the support which is now available to them.”

Applications close at 10am on Monday 22 June.

Further details on the application process for other businesses that currently fall outside the eligibility criteria will be made available once this initial round of applications has been processed.