Roll-out of Covid-19 business support
Erewash Borough Council has started rolling out Covid-19 business grant funding to local firms.
More than £3.5m in total has today been paid to 238 businesses, with the grant money due to appear in bank accounts on Thursday (9 April).
This first wave of payments is to business ratepayers who have had a direct debit set up with the council for a considerable time. The next phase will be to issue grants to those businesses who have recently set up a direct debit and the majority of those payments will go out next week.
Other eligible businesses will be contacted by letter, email or text to raise awareness of the grants. For these businesses, grants will be paid more quickly if they complete the online form on the council’s website www.erewash.gov.uk
Eligible businesses in the borough will receive grants of either £10,000 or up to £25,000 after the government announced that it was providing extra support for business ratepayers. The aim is to support local businesses suffering the significant financial impact of the coronavirus.
The council is dealing with a large number of enquiries and would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding at this time.
Councillor Wayne Major, Erewash Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, says:
“We know this grant funding is a crucial lifeline to many businesses as they battle the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The government only released the funding to local authorities a few days ago, so we have worked quickly to start rolling out the support.
“I would like to reassure the business community that we are paying the grants as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible.”
The government announced a package of temporary grant funding measures aimed at supporting businesses. These include small business grants of £10,000 for all businesses in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief and grants of up to £25,000 for businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sector.
The council continues to keep businesses and residents informed on the latest situation via updates on its website and social media channels.
