COVID-19 business grants - East Suffolk gets £101m allocation
COVID-19 business grants - Government has allocated one of largest sums to an Engllsh local authority as East Suffolk gets over £100m .
Receiving an allocation of not much less than some of the biggest metropolitan and Unitary authorities in England, East Suffolk District Council has paid out over £41.7m to local businesses to date
According to figures issued this week by the Department for Business, Energy& Industrial Strategy a total of 6,625 businesses were identified by East Suffolk of whom 3,512 (53%) had received a total of £37,715,000 up to 19th April. East Suffolk DC have since updated these figures as of yesterday to £41.7m paid out to 3,642 businesses ( 98% of the applications received have now been paid)
Dept of B,E & IS figures for ESDC and neighbouring authorities are as follows:
Initial Allocation | Number identified | No of Grant payments | Value of payments 19/4 | |
East Suffolk District Council | £101,526,000 | 6,625 | 3,512 | £37,715,000 |
Mid Suffolk District Council | £21,726,000 | 1,822 | 968 | £10,805,000 |
Ipswich Borough Council | £26,458,000 | 2,007 | 1,418 | £17,105,000 |
In a answer to a question from Lib Dem District Councillor David Beavan, East Suffolk said, Central govt estimated that East Suffolk would have a grants pot £101.5M covering both the small business and retail, hospitality and leisure grants. This put us on a par with the larger unitary and metropolitan authorities however, this is the largest district council in the country with a micro/ small business structure and a very buoyant visitor economy. Further work has shown that our actual allocation should be £74.5m based on the eligible business in the district.
A spokesperson for the Council said, Since the government announced its business grant package, Council staff have been working hard to ensure local businesses are aware of the funding available to them and how to apply for the much-needed financial support they are entitled to through the scheme.
The Council has already contacted over 7,000 businesses who they believe may be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund and anyone who thinks they may qualify under the government's criteria are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. If all information provided as part of the application is accurate and up to date, payments are processed in around five to six working days.
ESDC said, 'these grants are not loans that will need to be paid back, and they can make the difference between a business closing or surviving. We want our businesses to come out the other end in the strongest possible position to recover, therefore, I urge all small and medium businesses who haven't yet, to check if they are eligible for these grants'
The online form and more details about how to apply with full eligibility criteria can be found at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/covid-19-business-grant-funding.
Information about the help and advice available for businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak can also be found at https://eastsuffolkmeansbusiness.co.uk/business-support/resources/covid-19/