A £100,000 fund has been set aside by the North East England Chamber of Commerce to help its members through the coronavirus crisis.
The money is being offered in the shape of a subscription rebate for the next three months.
Members can apply for either a 50% or 100% refund as part of the Chamber’s efforts to support firms caught up in the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen the national shutdown of many sectors alongside the biggest Government bailout scheme the country has ever seen.
James Ramsbotham, the Chamber’s chief executive, said: “These are extremely challenging times for all of our businesses, and we need to work together to get through them.
“We have reserves, so it is only right in time of need, such as this, we use them to their best advantage.
“Every day we are getting tremendous feedback around the value of our support in terms of general advice and the work of our staff, who are constantly reaching out to businesses to identify what they need.
“We consider it of paramount importance that, as a region, we remain in close contact and also feed any specific challenges to Government, letting them know where help is needed.”
Members wishing to apply for the subscription rebate are asked to tell the Chamber what impact coronavirus is having on their business, and confirm whether they are applying for 50% or full 100% fee relief.
If the application is successful, the money will be credited to their membership account, and payments will be adjusted or suspended for the next three months.
Other information on business measures related to coronavirus and general support available is being regularly updated on the Chamber website at www.nechamber.co.uk.
Meanwhile, the North East LEP’s Growth Hub has issued a Covid-19 toolkit which gives employers advice on a number of matters relating to the outbreak, including financial support, employees’ rights and working from home.
The organisation is also surveying businesses in the region on how they are being affected by the outbreak so it can provide the right support and lobby Government where more help is needed.
