Businesses in Cheshire West and Chester which are required to close due to the National Lockdown Stay at Home Covid-19 restrictions are able to apply for a grant from the Cheshire West Covid Support for Businesses scheme.
This follows the announcement from the Prime Minister on 4 January 2021, with everyone being urged to Stay at Home and England entering a national lockdown. Throughout the pandemic, officers with Cheshire West and Chester Council have worked successfully supporting the borough’s business community and will continue to do so.
It is important that Businesses who had submitted an online application and received a grant before 31 December 2020 when the Borough was under Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions reapply for a grant now they are forced to close. If a business submitted an application between 31 December and 5 January when the Borough was under Tier 4 restrictions they will not need to make another application.
It is very important that businesses do not submit duplicate applications as this delays grant payment being made.
The Government’s £1,000 Christmas Support for pubs that predominantly serve alcohol rather than food, remains open for applications until Sunday, 31 January, 2021.
This week, the council will be focusing on making the final 14 day cycle payments for the period 16 December to 30 December, to businesses that had applied whilst under Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions.
The government has announced a one-off support payment of up to £9,000 for the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors in addition to the grant scheme. Council officers are awaiting more information about this and will update the council’s website in due course.
Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cllr Louise Gittins, said: “We know that the business community in Cheshire West and Chester has had a difficult time during the pandemic and the lockdown announcement is another blow.
“We are here to help. Alongside our partners, we are doing all we can to support businesses during this difficult time. The council is currently dealing with a high volume of applications, which will take some time to process, so we would ask businesses to be patient. We will continue to update our website as we receive more information.”