City region SMEs can access extra £8.1m in recovery funding
During the pandemic Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram secured £44m in support for Liverpool city region businesses and now an extra £8.1 is available. Tony McDonough reports
An extra £8.1m has been secured form the Government to support the recovery of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the Liverpool city region.
When the city region – Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton – was put into Tier 3 restrictions in October 2020, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram secured £44m from the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme.
That was allocated to more than 4,000 business. The extra £8m – to be known as the Trading On Scheme – will be allocated to the city region’s six local authorities, proportionate to population. Liverpool will get the biggest slice, totalling more than £2.5m.
In a joint statement Mr Rotheram and the six local authority leaders, said: “Throughout the past 18 months, we have worked together to project our region from the biggest challenge it has faced since the war.
“That collaboration, creativity and hard work resulted in millions of pounds of support that helped sustain thousands of businesses in all parts of our region through the worst of the pandemic.
“More than £44m was distributed to more than 4,000 businesses, saving many more thousands of jobs and livelihoods in the process. We start our recovery from a much stronger position as a result.
“That recovery is already well underway and received a massive boost in May, with the launch of Mayor Steve Rotheram’s £150m COVID Recovery Fund, which has allowed our region to get a headstart on the rest of the country.”
Local authority allocation (based on head of population)
| Halton | £673,634.01 |
| Knowsley | £785,559.29 |
| Liverpool | £2,592,501.84 |
| Sefton | £1,438,890.58 |
| St Helens | £940,172.35 |
| Wirral | £1,686,687.94 |
| Total – Liverpool City Region | £8,117,446.00 |
The Government requires each council to exercise its local knowledge and judgment in devising a grant scheme that aligns best with the particular economic characteristics of its area by funding those businesses that have been severely impacted by COVID-19.
Because of this and the limited amount of funding available, the amounts of grant funding for individual businesses will vary across different local authority areas.
For more information on the individual schemes, including eligibility and how to apply, businesses should visit their local council website. Applications will open at 10am on Monday, October 25.