Small businesses across Derby struggling to meet fixed property costs during the coronavirus crisis are being urged to apply for cash from a new ‘top-up’ grant scheme.
Derby City Council is urging small firms, as well as charities, to lodge applications with the scheme, which closes on June 19.
It is aimed at those who have not been eligible for any other city council Covid-19 grant-related scheme, such as small businesses operating in a shared workspace, bed and breakfast businesses that pay Council Tax and local charities that have their offices within the city.
The authority has received an extra £2.2 million in funding from the Government to support the scheme and expects the grants to reflect the level of support needed.
For eligible businesses, an award of up to three months pro-rata fixed property costs will be available, up to a maximum of £10,000.
Businesses will be required to upload evidence of their fixed property costs for the months of February, March and April 2020, to support their claim.
They will also have to meet certain criteria, details of which can be found at the city council’s website where applications can be made.
Councillor Nicola Roulstone, the city council’s cabinet member for finance and procurement, said: “We know that many businesses have been heavily impacted by the current pandemic and we want to help as many small businesses as we can with this fund.
“In order to be fair to everyone we are also not doing this on a first-come first-served basis, as we did with the previous grants, but opening up a window for applications so we can assess them all side by side.”
