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Grants worth more than £5 million have so far been paid out to almost 500 Inverclyde businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
The money has been distributed by council staff from the Scottish Government Coronavirus Business Support Fund.
As of Wednesday (29 April), 481 grants worth £5.4m have been paid out. A total of 768 applications have been received with the council’s finance team continuing to work through existing applications.
Councillor Stephen McCabe, Leader of Inverclyde Council, said:
“I’d like to thank the staff who are working tirelessly to process a large volume of applications and payments as quickly as they can to ensure financial support is made available to businesses which are struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The grants are there to help organisations that have had to temporarily close down due to the stay at home measures introduced to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
“Staff are required to carry out checks to ensure applications meet the government criteria for funding so we appreciate the patience from local businesses while this process takes place.”
Grants of £10,000 have been awarded to 441 small businesses so far with a further 40 organisations in the retail, leisure or hospitality sectors each receiving £25k.
Almost two-thirds of all applicants have so far received payments to help ease the financial burden caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The rate is comparable with the Scottish average.
Just 25 local applications have been rejected, much lower than most other council areas. Businesses are urged to make sure forms are completed in full to avoid delays in the application process and possible resubmissions.
For more information about the Scottish Government Coronavirus Business Support Fund, how to apply for a grant and details about what other help and support are available from Inverclyde Council to private and third sector organisations and those who are self-employed, visit www.inverclyde.gov.uk/covid-19/business-support.
