Liverpool City Council is urging businesses to apply for funding to help cover the costs of reopening in a Covid-safe way before the deadline.
In the city a total of 3,281 businesses have so far benefited from Government Covid-19 restart grants totalling £25.5 million.
However, there is still more than £5 million available in funding for sectors including non-essential retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms – and businesses who have not yet applied are being urged to do so by the closing date of 30 June.
The link to apply for a Restart Grant is https://liverpool.gov.uk/restartgrant
The council is also distributing a further £6.5 million in discretionary support funding made available to the local authority by the Government, for businesses who do not meet the mandatory criteria for grants.
Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Jane Corbett, said:
“Time is running out for those businesses which haven’t yet applied for the Government’s Restart Grant and they need to do so by the end of the month.
“Many business have really struggled since the pandemic began through no fault of their own. We would urge them to go online and apply as soon as possible to make sure they meet the deadline and get the funding they are entitled to.
“Our team have also gone above and beyond to proactively contact businesses who have previously received discretionary funding because they do not meet the government’s criteria for support, and encourage them to reapply.
“We hope this will go some way towards helping them deal with the cost of the pandemic and ensure their continued survival.
“We recognise businesses are the life-blood of the local economy, which is why we have worked hard to make sure they know there is funding available.
“We would urge government to make further funding available for businesses, particularly for those sectors that continue to be affected by the restrictions.”
A massive 1,300 applications have been appraised over the last couple of weeks after the council proactively contacted businesses who received grants last year and urged them to reapply.
The team have processed grant applications for amounts between £1,200 and £15,200 that will help 597 self-employed, home based or sole traders and support the continued operation of 729 business premises.
