BUSINESSES in Windsor and Maidenhead have seen funds allocated by the council to help keep them afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, 631 small businesses and organisations in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector have seen financial support where nearly £11 million has been given out since the scheme was announced April 1.
2,219 businesses have been identified within the borough that may be in scope to receive the grant from the council, according to government data, where less than half of businesses in the local area are still waiting for support.
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Organisations with a rateable value of up to £15,000 can apply for the one-off small business grant fund of £10,000 and the retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund is for businesses in those sectors with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 can receive a grant of £25,000.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (RBWM) received £28,638,000 in grants from the government specifically to help local businesses who were forced to shut down because of the public health crisis survive.
Councillor David Hilton (Conservative: Ascot and Sunninghill), cabinet member for finance, said RBWM has been contacting businesses directly and are currently processing around 750 forms.
The council has sent follow-up emails to those who haven’t responded but are entitled for the short-term loan.
He said: “We are working through the applications and I think 38 per cent of the grants have been processed and sent out to businesses.
“The way are working is that any businesses that entitled for the grant, we know who they are and so an application form has been emailed to them because what we don’t want to is make the form available for everybody and end up with an added workload.
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“So, any forms that do come in, we know that they are eligible and it’s a question of processing a few simple tests.
“It’s really important that we get the money out to businesses so they can open up when lockdown ceases and get back on their feet.
“What we don’t want is to lose lots and lots of small businesses.”
Eligible businesses can find further information here: https://www3.rbwm.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/4761/support_for_businesses_and_business_rate_relief.pdf
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