Funding applications worth £9,000 open TODAY for businesses in Southport and across Sefton which were forced to close due to the current Covid-19 lockdown.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak revealed the funding for the Lockdown Grants earlier this year as part of a £4.6billon programme to support firms.
Sefton Council is administering payments, with the first due to be paid from tomorrow.
Sefton businesses that have been ordered to close during the current COVID-19 national lockdown will be able to apply for new Lockdown Grants this week.
Firms which are liable for business rates, may be eligible for a further support payment, with applications in Sefton due to open this Thursday (21 January 2021).
The Chancellor announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring.
A £594 million discretionary fund was also made available to support other impacted businesses.
This comes in addition to £1.1 billion further discretionary grant funding for Local Authorities, Local Restriction Support Grants worth up to £3,000 a month and extension of furlough scheme.
Am I eligible?
The full eligibility criteria can be found on the business section of the Council’s website along with detailed guidance of how to apply and the amount that a business might receive. The window for new applications is expected to open this Thursday, 21 January.
Do I need to apply again?
Businesses that have previously applied for, and received, a Local Restrictions Support Grant (for any period after 14 October 2020) will not need to submit a further application as an automatic payment will be issued.
When will my business receive a payment?
The Council’s business rates team will begin making payments from Friday 22 January and expect to have issued grants to all eligible businesses by Friday 29 January. Payments are expected to take 2-3 days from issue before appearing in nominated bank accounts.
What if a business hasn’t applied for any grants before?
Applications from businesses who have not previously received support will first need to be verified for eligibility, with payments expected to be issued by Wednesday 17 February.
How do I apply?
Applications must be made online and submitted no later than Wednesday 31 March 2021. Any applications submitted after that date will not be eligible to receive a grant.
The application form is expected to be available and live by Thursday 21 January.
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