Hospitality and leisure businesses across Liverpool city region are being urged by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to apply for cash from the £40m emergency COVID fund. Tony McDonough reports

Tomorrow, Friday October 30, is the last chance for hospitality and leisure businesses to apply for help from the Liverpool city region’s emergency support fund.

First announced on October 2 by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and the leaders of the city region’s six local authorities, the fund was established in response to the city region being placed under Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions.

This has seen pubs and bars closed down and restaurants placed under greater restrictions. Mr Rotheram said the Government’s offer of support for businesses fell well short of what was needed.

The fund aims to enable viable businesses to continue trading and retain as many jobs as possible; support temporarily closed businesses to top up employees’ wages and remain solvent; and to help lay the ground for economic recovery across the hospitality and leisure sector in the future.

It will be used to help keep businesses in the sector afloat for up to four months, until a wider and more substantial financial support package can be secured from central Government. The aim is that the first funding will reach applicants within 10 days of applications being approved, with subsequent payments phased over the period of the grant.

A grant application window was opened on Friday, October 16, and will close at 5pm on Friday, October 30. Eligible businesses wishing to apply should visit their own local authority websites for details. Detailed eligibility criteria will be available to applicants and will include:

• Small and micro hospitality and leisure businesses
• Based in the Liverpool city region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
• One full time equivalent employee or more.
• Going concern.
• Business to consumer.
• Trading from a commercial premises.

In a joint statement, the Metro Mayor, City Mayor and leaders of the city region’s six local authorities said: “We will continue to fight for a more comprehensive funding package, but in the meantime, where the national government has stepped away, we, as local leaders, will step up.

“We know that once a business is gone, they are gone, and we must do everything we can to prevent that.  Our hope is that this fund can provide some interim support and will mean local businesses and their staff survive in the coming weeks and months, until the government does the right thing.”