Businesses are being encouraged to apply for government grants to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are a number of government-backed business grants on offer and Allerdale council is urging firms to check if they are eligible for any of them.
There is financial support available for particular restriction periods since November 5 2020, and some of the grants are only available for specific business sectors – like the £1, 000 payment to support wet-led pubs in the area.
The council recently opened up applications for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (open) fund which is designed to help those in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors affected by the restrictions imposed under Tier 2 which were introduced during the period of December 2 to December 30.
The council is looking to pay as many of the grants as possible using the information it already has on the eligible businesses from previous grant applications.
Businesses may therefore be asked to just simply reconfirm some details.
If information, like bank details, has changed since the previous grants were paid then businesses are encouraged to contact the council.
The council has this week written by email to all businesses that successfully applied for a grant under the Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) scheme to cover the period of the previous national lockdown last November.
The email asks them to confirm certain details so that an automatic payment can be made for the grants available to businesses affected by the Tier 4 restrictions as well as the current national lockdown.
All previous grant recipients (who applied before January 18) are encouraged by the authority to check their emails and reply as soon as possible.
Any eligible business that has not already applied for support under the Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) scheme should apply using the online form.
Help and advice is also available from the council’s customer service team on 0303 123 1702.
Visit https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/coronavirus/coronavirus-business-grants-claims/ for more information.