Lockdown grants paid out to over 1000 businesses before Christmas
Payments totalling £1,657,085 have been processed ahead of Christmas to ease the pressures on local businesses that either needed to cease trading, or who were seriously affected, during the national lockdown.
Cotswold District Council has successfully processed 1060 applications from local businesses for support grants to help them through the recent lockdown. The payments range in amount according to the size of the business and whether it was from a mandatory or discretionary grant scheme.
Welcoming the figures, Cllr Joe Harris, Leader of the Council, said: “Our priority has been to support local businesses at this unprecedented time. Since the pandemic began a number of support schemes have been announced by the Government that the Council has had to allocate; we’ve often had little or no notice of the schemes. Our teams have worked flat out to build the systems necessary to receive applications, process them carefully and then payout to the successful businesses.
“These payments will provide a lifeline for many businesses that, through no fault of their own, have had an extremely challenging 2020.”
Cllr Harris, added: “We’re rebuilding the Council’s finances so we can invest in the District to support our local economy and ensure that we are in a position to come roaring back in 2021. I’d urge everyone in the Cotswolds to shop local and to do everything possible to support local businesses and traders.”