A call has gone out to businesses in Liverpool to claim a COVID Restart Grant from the remaining £5m left in the local pot before the end of this month. Tony McDonough reports
Businesses in Liverpool only have until the end of this month to apply for COVID-19 Government restart grants.
Liverpool City Council, which is responsible for distributing the cash local, says 3,281 businesses in the city have claimed a total of £25.5m to help them cover the costs of reopening in a COVID-safe way.
However, there is still more than £5m available in funding for sectors including non-essential retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms. Closing date to make a claim is June 30.
The council is also distributing a further £6.5m in discretionary support funding made available to the local authority by the Government, for businesses who do not meet the mandatory criteria for grants.
Around 1,300 applications have been appraised over the last couple of weeks after the council proactively contacted businesses who received grants last year and urged them to reapply.
The team has processed grant applications for amounts between £1,200 and £15,200 that will help 597 self-employed, home based or sole traders and support the continued operation of 729 business premises.
Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Jane Corbett, said: “Time is running out for those businesses which haven’t yet applied for the Government’s Restart Grant and they need to do so by the end of the month.
“Many business have really struggled since the pandemic began through no fault of their own. We would urge them to go online and apply as soon as possible to make sure they meet the deadline and get the funding they are entitled to.
“Our team have also gone above and beyond to proactively contact businesses who have previously received discretionary funding because they do not meet the Government’s criteria for support, and encourage them to reapply.”
If you are a business based in Liverpool you can click here to apply for a Restart Grant.