COVID cash decision for businesses
Perth and Kinross businesses that have not received support during the pandemic could be given a £2000 funding boost.
Councillors will meet on Wednesday (January 27) and asked to approve financial help being granted to some local businesses which missed out in previous schemes.
Since March 2020 Perth and Kinross Council has delivered around £40 million through Scottish Government grant schemes to over 3800 businesses.
A raft of schemes have been approved to provide support to businesses during these unprecedented times with further schemes being announced and progressed.
PKC was also recently allocated £831,463 into this year’s current 2020/21 budget as the COVID-19 Local Authority Discretionary Fund.
The council’s finance team has outlined criteria to take this fund forward.
Under the terms of PKC’s criteria, one-off grant payments of £2000 could be paid to businesses such as cleaning businesses, tour guides and kennels and catteries.
The criteria being put before councillors for approval is:
• Businesses that supply goods or services to those who have been closed or restricted (e.g. homebased bed and breakfast businesses; cleaning businesses; tradespeople and facilities management businesses)
•Businesses facing hardship as an indirect consequence of the current travel restrictions (e.g. kennels and catteries; tour guides; removals),
• Businesses who do not have business premises and are therefore ineligible for grants attached to the non-domestic rates system (some of which may be picked up in a national funde.g. close contact businesses such hairdressers and beauticians who do not operate out of business premises).
On Wednesday councillors will be asked to agree the criteria and delegate authority to PKC’s head of planning and development to progress the scheme