Council to give £10,000 boost to businesses that missed out on Government support
One-off grants of £10,000 will be paid to 421 hospitality and leisure businesses in Birmingham which have previously missed out on Government support or require emergency intervention to protect jobs.
Birmingham City councillors have agreed to use funds from the £22.8m Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) to help businesses who were ineligible to claim any support between the March 2020 lockdown and January 2021.
The grants will be paid to eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 who have previously not been eligible for government grant funds or who require emergency support to protect jobs or stay afloat.
Birmingham City Council’s deputy leader, councillor Brigid Jones, said: “The ARG fund has been provided to councils by the Government to enable local authorities to use their discretion to support businesses which do not automatically qualify for other grant support schemes. These sectors, and the associated industries, are responsible for providing tens of thousands of jobs across Birmingham and the wider regions but have yet to receive a single penny of support since the first lockdown in March as they did not meet the criteria set out by Government.
“It’s important we do everything we can to protect these businesses and the livelihoods associated with them. This emergency intervention will provide a much-needed lifeline to preserve the future of another 421 businesses, the jobs associated with them and the wider economy.”
Council officers will identify the businesses which will be eligible for the grant and will contact them directly to notify them and request the necessary information required to process payments by 22 January 2021.
