Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the £47,942,000 allocation to Wealden District Council to support up to 4675 Wealden business properties, as part of the Government’s £12 billion small business grants scheme.
More than 2,000 small businesses in Wealden District Council have already received grants as part of the Government’s Small Business Grants Scheme. In total, more than £22 million has made its way from Government, to Wealden Council to small businesses in the area.
In recognition of the extraordinary pressures facing small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak, the Government launched the Small Business Grants Scheme, backed by £12.3 billion. The funding is provided to local authorities, who are then able to offer grants of up to £10,000 to small businesses, and up to £25,000 for eligible leisure, retail and hospitality businesses. Since the scheme’s launch in March, £6.1 billion has already been paid out to 491,725 business properties across England, including in Wealden District Council.
The Government is providing a huge and unprecedented package of support to help small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak, including:
- helping to pay people’s wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, including for more than a million people who are employed by the 140,000 businesses which applied for the scheme in the first day alone
- introducing the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to provide loans of up to £5 million, interest free for 12 months, to small businesses
- taking all retail, leisure and hospitality businesses out of business rates altogether for the next year
- helping small and medium-sized businesses with the cost of paying Statutory Sick Pay for employees off work because of Covid-19
Nusrat Ghani said “This is a hugely challenging time for businesses, especially for smaller firms that are at the heart of our Wealden communities. I have been contacted by a huge number of local business owners regarding their concerns over the impact of coronavirus on their livelihoods and it is reassuring to know that thousands of businesses in Wealden have already received Government support. I am pleased that Wealden Council has processed thousands of applications for local grants and in a few weeks have allocated half the grant fund given to them and I would encourage any local business who fit the criteria for a grant to get in touch with Wealden Council https://www.wealden.gov.uk/news/covid-19-financial-support-for-businesses/. My website Is updated daily and also carries local and national information for businesses, including the new portal to help businesses navigate support options https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder and there is also the option of the Business Support Hotline on 0300 4563565."
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