LEP sheds light on help available to Bromsgrove and south Birmingham businesses during the Covid Lockdown 3 - The Bromsgrove Standard

LEP sheds light on help available to Bromsgrove and south Birmingham businesses during the Covid Lockdown 3

Bromsgrove Editorial 6th Jan, 2021   0

GRANTS worth up to £9,000 will be rolled out to Bromsgrove businesses to help them survive the latest national lockdown.

They will be available for retail, hospitality and leisure companies in the district.

The one-off top-ups will be granted to closed businesses as follows – £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000, and £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.

Local Restriction Support Grants worth up to £3,000 a month are also available and an extension of furlough scheme.




Tim Pile, the chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) said: “Businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure have been hit hard by the continuing restrictions in light of Covid-19.”

He welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s grant scheme to help businesses stay afloat until spring, adding the £549millio package would undoubtedly be of help to businesses.


And he added: “We will work with our local authority partners who will be distributing funds to identify sectors and businesses adversely affected by this pandemic.”

He said in the meantime the LEP continued to identify opportunities to help on the ground.

The Pivot and Prosper Grant Scheme had seen 52 of the region’s firms adapt their working models and products in light of Covid-19 and further help was on the way in the form of digital upskilling.

Peer 2 Peer networks and the allocation of SME Restart grants as well as an ongoing apprenticeship and triage service were all part of the Step Forward campaign – interventions to help businesses build resilience.

Mr Pile said: “With the roll-out of a vaccine there is hope but we fully acknowledge that the weeks ahead will be hard and we will do everything we can to help business, secure and create jobs and support the economy.”

Businesses wanting to find out more about help should visit gbslepgrowthhub.co.uk/coronavirus

Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid has also spoken out on the England-wide lockdown.

On Twitter the former Chancellor of the Exchequer said he had spoken with leaders from the local Worcestershire health services on Monday about the huge pressure the rising infection rates were putting on the NHS.

Mr Javid added: “We must do all we can to tackle the new variant of this horrible virus.

“Please – stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

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