A Southport Business Recovery Fund is due to be launched next week to support firms which have suffered since the tragedy a month ago today in which young girls were killed and several other children and adults were injured at The Hart Space in Southport.
An urgent decision is expected to be made by Sefton Council’s Cabinet which will make an initial half a million pounds available for businesses in the Hart Street and St Lukes Road areas which have incurred losses following the attack.
The local authority’s InvestSefton team has built up a priority list of immediate needs including:
– Repairs caused by riot damage
-Loss of income/earnings due to closures, eg cancelled orders, salary/wage bills.
-CCTV/security shutters
-Employment support
-Measures to encourage footfall and provide assurances to residents and visitors
-Psychological trauma support from professionals
While business and economic considerations may be wider and longer-term as well, the immediate focus is the firms and organisations in the immediate area of where the tragedy happened.
Merseyside Police closures have been in place for a number of weeks while investigations take place.
InvestSefton officers have been engaging with businesses in the affected areas to get their feedback and offer support.
The Leader of the Council Cllr Marion Atkinson and the Council Chief Executive Phil Porter have also visited affected firms.
Support for businesses, owners and staff will include focus on wider wellbeing, and financial support where required.
It is estimated that up to 20 businesses on Hart Street have been forced to close due to the police cordon.
The first round of financial support will be made available to businesses who have been forced to close, and it is proposed to progress this at the earliest opportunity.
The second round of financial support will be made available to businesses in the surrounding area (wider Hart Street area and St Lukes Road).
While there has also been a recognisable impact on the wider Southport economy, the immediate priority is those businesses who have been forced to close due to the cordon and then other businesses located on Hart Street and St Lukes Road.
For the initial immediate response, £500,000 is sought and would be funded from existing Sefton Council resources.
The Southport Business Recovery Fund would initially support businesses forced to close with loss of income/earnings. The fund will aim to reimburse a percentage of these losses. The exact percentage cannot be decided until the scale of the losses has been determined.
InvestSefton will take a sensitive approach and will visit each business who has been forced to close and gain an understanding of their specific circumstances to ensure that the fund is accessible and equitable.
The businesses will be supported throughout the application process by InvestSefton and the team will ensure that the business owners do not feel overwhelmed by the application process. Once these businesses have been supported, the second round of funding will be open to those businesses in Hart Street or St Lukes Road who did not have to close but have suffered a loss of income due to the incident.
For business premises damaged by the riot, financial help is available from the Governments Riot Compensation fund.
If businesses hold insurance for property that is damaged or stolen in a riot, then they must claim via their insurance company first. They can only submit a Government RCA claim for these items if all or part of the insurance claim is rejected. In terms of considering any additional Council and / or Government funding it must be noted that help towards damaged premises could be classed as double-counting and not eligible. In view of this it is proposed that support is focused on businesses who have incurred financial losses because of closures.
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