An £10m fund has been announced for businesses in our region that have not yet been able to access previous support.
The new Local Business Support Grants, of between £3,750 and £13,500 per business, is the latest round of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s COVID emergency funds.
The funds, announced in October, has provided 1,700 businesses with funding through two rounds so far.
In a joint statement, the Leaders and Acting Mayor of the six City Region Local Authorities, and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, said the businesses targeted by the new fund provided vital jobs and investment for our region.
The statement said: “We know how tough this last year has been for local businesses and we are doing everything we can to help support them through the pandemic.
“We’ve already distributed tens of millions of pounds to local businesses and this latest fund is open to the sorts of small and micro businesses that have not yet qualified for funding, so we can safeguard more jobs and livelihoods. Thousands of people depend on these businesses for their livelihoods and they are at the very heart of our communities.
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“The vaccine rollout is continuing, and we can start to see a return to something resembling normality. Let’s keep looking after each other and we can make it through the coming weeks and months.”
To be eligible, businesses must meet the following criteria:
- Businesses that have been ordered to close and are outside the business rate system.
- Businesses in the hospitality and leisure supply chain that either pay business rates or have commercial property related costs.
- Self-employed/Sole trader/home-based businesses / licensed market traders working in or supplying the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.
- Businesses in any sector, including the self-employed/sole traders / home-based businesses, that can demonstrate a loss of income of more than 40% due to Covid-19. Businesses can also apply for this grant if they pay business rates or have commercial property related costs.
Businesses should apply through their council and are urged to do so as soon as possible due to a likelihood of demand outstripping supply.
An initial window will open for receipt of applications for the Liverpool City Region Local Business Support Grant will open for applications from 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2021 and close at 5.00 pm on Friday 26 February 2021.
