Cheshire West businesses urged to apply for share of Covid support funding

On April 1, the Government is set to open a Restart Grant scheme, announced in the Chancellor's Budget, to help those businesses which were forced to close as well as those which stayed open.

The grant is a one-off payment, which will be distributed by Cheshire West and Chester Council after Easter.

Non essential businesses (strand one) could receive a grant of up to £6,000 based on their rateable value, while hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms (strand two) could get up to £18,000 based on their rateable value.

For those businesses which do not have a rateable value but fall into the business sectors in strand one and two, the council is reviewing its Additional Restrictions Grant scheme to ensure support is made available.

The council's director of finance, Debbie Hall, said: “We have made the grant application process as simple as possible and our team has worked really hard to make sure that businesses receive their grant payments as fast as we can.

“We are all looking forward to the easing of lockdown, the re-opening of our towns and city centre and the much-needed boost to our local economy this will bring.”

Gemma Davies, the council's director of economy and housing, added: “The business community in our borough has been incredibly resilient throughout the coronavirus pandemic and we have been doing all we can to support them.”

“Our borough has made great strides in reducing the number of Covid infections and this continues to be our top priority. The re-opening of our borough must be done cautiously and safely and the Restart Grant Scheme will help local businesses to do that.”

All other schemes will close on March 31, including the existing Additional Restrictions Grant and business which have received a grant before will need to make a new application after April 1.

For more information and to apply for a grant head to the business support section on the council's website.