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£40m of COVID grants given to businesses

Publication date:

More than £40 million of grants have been given to businesses and other organisations in St Albans District to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

St Albans City and District Council has been distributing the non-repayable aid from various Government funds.

In recent months, it has channelled £12.9 million of grants to more than 2,000 local businesses and groups.

This is in addition to the £27.3 million that was delivered last year to around 1,800 companies and other organisations.

The more recent schemes include the Local Restrictions Support Grant for the third lockdown and the Closed Business Lockdown Payment.

Councillor Mandy McNeil, Portfolio Holder for Business, Tourism and Culture, said:

We have responded energetically to the challenge of distributing millions of pounds of Government support to keep our businesses afloat.

We’ve worked flat out to make our businesses aware of the many grant schemes that are available. We have then been providing them with the money as quickly as possible while guarding against fraudulent applications.

We have now distributed more than £40 million since the first lockdown to businesses, charities and other groups and will continue to help in every way we can.

This money has been vital to our local economy with all that means in terms of jobs and the District’s general wellbeing and prosperity and we’ve also been able to help many home-based businesses.  

Businesses that believe they qualify for the Local Restrictions Support Grant or the Closed Business Lockdown Payment and have yet to apply can still do so until Wednesday 31 March.

The Additional Restrictions Grant is the only existing COVID-19 support scheme that will remain in force after that date.

The Government, though, is planning to introduce new restart grants for businesses as the current lockdown ends. Details about this scheme is to be announced later this month.

To keep local businesses up to date with the grants system, the Council has set up an information page at www.stalbans.gov.uk/covid-19-business-grants.

Councillor contact:  
Mandy McNeil, Portfolio Holder for Business, Tourism and Culture: 07584 198999, cllr.m.mcneil@councillor.stalbans.gov.uk.

Media contacts; 
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533,  john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.