Coronavirus: More than £42 million dished out to Shropshire businesses affected by pandemic
More than £42 million has been paid out to more than 5,600 businesses in Shropshire affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Shropshire Council has received £91m from the Government to pass directly onto companies that have suffered losses due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Since grant applications opened on April 1, the authority has used additional staff to process them and continues to do so for the last remaining submissions.
Small companies and businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors throughout the county can apply for Government funding through the Coronavirus Covid-19 Small Business Grant Fund, and Retail Hospitality & Leisure Grant Fund. Businesses must be business rate payers to apply.
Steve Charmley, the authority's cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said: “This funding is a huge and vital boost for businesses in the county in these challenging times, and making sure that the money reaches those who need it as soon as possible is a huge undertaking for the council and one of our top priorities.
“We know that many businesses are still desperately waiting for this money to reach them, and we can reassure them that we’re working as quickly as we can, with extra staff helping to ensure that applications are processed and payments made as soon as possible. We ask businesses to bear with us as we are doing appropriate checks and balances and, to help us, please provide accurate information on application forms and when asked supply additional evidence.
“We’ve never had to do anything like this before or on this scale. We assured businesses that we would be working as fast as we possibly can and I hope these figures show that we are doing just that.”
Businesses that have already received grants have given positive feedback on the initiative.
One businesses said: "Thanks again for the speedy grant release to my business in Shrewsbury. This will go to good use powering us forward in these uncertain times.”
Another added: “We are very appreciative of this, with 22 staff relying on us, this support is vital – thanks.”
For more information on applying for financial support, visit shropshire.gov.uk
