More than £43 million was handed out to struggling businesses in Dumfries and Galloway to help them stay afloat during the pandemic, it has been revealed.
Thousands of firms across the region applied for support funding, with 2,239 of them being accepted for grants from the UK government.
The strategic framework grant scheme opened in November 2020 – almost eight months after the country went into a national lockdown – and it provided funding to businesses whose trade was either restricted or closed by the Coronavirus regulations.
Dumfries and Galloway Council workers were under “severe pressure” to set up and administer the business payments scheme at short notice, and Councillor Archie Dryburgh praised staff for how they handled the complicated task.
Speaking at the council’s recent audit, risk and scrutiny committee, he said: “I know of the difficult circumstances that members of staff were under when there were changes of guidelines on sometimes a daily basis.
“It’s appropriate to thank those staff and say well done for getting the funding out there to the businesses that required it.”
A report produced for the council’s audit, risk and scrutiny committee explained how the grants payments were processed.
It reads: “Applications could be made up to March 31, 2021. In practice because of its lower level of restrictions use of the scheme was limited in Dumfries and Galloway until December 26, 2020, when Scotland went into a national lockdown.
“Payments continued until April 2021 when a final payment was made alongside a restart grant.
“Recipients of strategic framework grants in the retail and some hospitality sectors were also paid a top-up grant in January 2021 without having to make a further application.
“Payments were based on the rateable value of a premises and were not related to the financial loss (if any) incurred by a business as a result of the health emergency.
“Self-catering properties, B&Bs, guest houses, campsites, caravan parks, and visitors’ hostels were eligible for strategic framework grants and restart grants but not the hospitality top-up grants.
“There was a separate scheme for large self-catering (seven or more bed spaces) and exclusive use properties.”
The grant figures, recently analysed by the council’s audit, risk and scrutiny committee, were: strategic framework business fund – £17,125,970; strategic framework restart grant – £17,578,000; retail, leisure and hospitality top-up – £7,995,000; and small accommodation providers’ restart grant – £378,000.
