Applications open for business support fund
HALTON Borough Council has started to receive applications for the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund (LADGF).
The Government has made additional funding available to allow the council to further support small businesses.
This funding is to support small businesses that have been affected by COVID19 but have so far received no support as they are outside the scope of the existing small business grants scheme and the retail, hospitality and leisure scheme.
Based upon the Government guidance and the identified priorities of the council, four grant regimes will be available:
Shared Space Grant Charitable Sector Support Grant
Bed & Breakfast Support
Grant
Businesses either working from home and/or other locally owned businesses in other premises.
To ensure the discretionary grants are awarded to those small businesses most impacted by COVID19 an assessment will be undertaken against a number of criteria including:
The business must have no more than 50 employees
The business must be a solvent business that was trading on March 11, 2020.
The business must have ongoing property costs.
The business has been significantly financially affected by COVID19.
The business has not received other relevant grant support from central Government apart from the Furlough scheme.
Businesses which have received cash grants from any central Government scheme for COVID19 are ineligible for funding from the Discretionary Grant Fund.
Cllr Eddie Jones, portfolio holder for economic development, said: “The council lobbied strongly for further funding aimed at assisting organisations that have not benefitted from any schemes to date.
“Although we have been successful in securing some additional funding, and welcome this, we appreciate that this is still not enough to cover the numbers seeking support.
“Given the limit on the level of resources available, and demand is expected to be high, this will be a fund targeted at those organisations that have so far not had any financial support.
“However, the council’s business support team will be providing advice and guidance to ensure as many recipients as possible in the borough benefit.”
Visit Halton Borough Council’s website https://hbcnewsroom.co.uk/coronaadvice/ to access further information and how to apply.
All information must accompany an application in order for an application to be processed.