Coronavirus: Businesses set to receive restart grant funding

Shropshire businesses are set to start receiving their restart grant funding – but have been urged to ensure they have completed all their details as part of their verification response.

Eligible businesses across the county are able to claim payments of between £2,667 and £18,000 to help the economy bounce back from the pandemic.

Businesses who have successfully applied and received funding from the most recent round of the Local Restrictions Support Grant have received a verification email from Shropshire Council asking them to confirm some additional information requested by the Government before the funds can be processed.

It is vital that business complete all fields within this verification. Following additional guidance from the Government, the business SIC code fields have been amended to a more simplified selection criteria to ease the verification process.

Shropshire Council’s team is working around the clock to ensure thousands of businesses across the county will begin receiving payments as soon as possible.

Matt Potts, business growth and inward investment manager, said:

“We have delighted to be processing these restart grants, which will help businesses across the county.

“We have had an overwhelming response and are now processing the grants as quickly as possible, and money should be on its way within the next few days.

“But I want to urge all businesses to ensure they have filled in the details through the verification email completely and accurately – including using the amended tickbox to supply us with their SIC code.

“All businesses who have left the SIC code field blank previously, have been contacted to ask them to resubmit their verification.

“Without that, we cannot send the money, so please doublecheck this has been done.”

The restart grant scheme supports businesses in reopening safely, as some restrictions of the third Lockdown are lifted.

Eligible businesses in the non-essential retail sector may be entitled to a one-off cash grant of up to £6,000.

Eligible businesses in the hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym sectors may be entitled to a one-off cash grant of up to £18,000.

Your business may be eligible if it is:

• rate-paying
• in the non-essential retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care or gym sectors
• trading on 1 April 2021

You cannot get funding if your business:

• is in administration, insolvent or has been struck off the Companies House register
• has exceeded the permitted subsidy allowance

You must notify the council if your situation changes and you no longer meet the eligibility criteria.