Liverpool City Council, which is administering the scheme on behalf of the Government, has already paid our £36m in grants to firms in the city and is welcoming new applications. Tony McDonough reports

Small firms across Liverpool are being urged to apply for Government coronavirus support grants with £36m already paid out in the city to 2,875 businesses.

Liverpool City Council, which is administering the scheme on behalf of the Government, says its finance staff worked through the Easter bank holiday weekend to ensure hundreds of local companies will get the money they need this week.

The team has been processing an average of 400 applications a day and there is currently no backlog in the process. Businesses in Liverpool who have not yet applied are being urged to click here to secure the emergency funding.

Any business from any sector with a rateable value of £15,000 or below are eligible to apply for a £10,000 grant. To qualify they must have been receiving Small Business Rates Relief and need to provide a bank statement from the past three months.

For businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, with a rateable value between £15,000.01 and less than £51,000, they may qualify for a £25,000 grant. Qualifying businesses include:

• Shops
• Cafes, restaurants, takeaways and drinking establishments
• Cinemas, music venues and nightclubs
• Petrol stations
• Gyms, leisure and sports facilities
• Estate agents and letting agents
• Betting shops and bingo halls
• Car showrooms
• Hotels and guest houses

For more information about the grant support scheme and for businesses to find out if they are eligible, businesses can click here.

Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Gary Millar, said: “We fully appreciate this is a very difficult time for businesses and we have a dedicated team working as hard as they can, including over the Easter bank holiday weekend, to process applications for grants.

“Over the last week, we have processed more than 1,700 applications worth around £17m and are now able to deal with at least 400 applications per day. We have also proactively contacted all businesses we have details who are eligible, to let them know.

“It is really important that businesses check on our website to make sure they are eligible for the grants, and provide all of the information that the Government have asked for, as that will speed up the processing of their application.”