West Berkshire Council offering 'comprehensive' package of support to local businesses affected by Covid-19 restrictions

Grants are available to companies that have been impacted by coronavirus restrictions

WEST Berkshire Council is offering a comprehensive package of support to businesses that have been impacted by national and local Covid-19 restrictions.

To date, the council has distributed almost £1m in grants to businesses which had to close in November, with further funding being handed out every day to those in need.

It has also issued £150,000 of grants to those which may not have had to close, but have seen a significant loss of trade as a result of the national and local restrictions.

As a result of West Berkshire being placed in Tier 2, the council will now be distributing a series of other Government grants to hospitality businesses that are still limited in how they can operate.

These are:

. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) for hospitality and leisure businesses who may open but whose income is likely to be significantly impacted by the current restrictions.

. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) for businesses who are required to close under High Tier restrictions. This category will include pubs that do not serve food.

. A flat rate £1,000 grant to pubs that can demonstrate that 50 per cent or more of their income derives from the sale of alcoholic beverages.

To supplement this, the council will match this grant from its own funds to help businesses through what would usually be their busiest trading time.

This funding is in addition to the almost £30m distributed to nearly 2,200 local businesses earlier this year, the £38.4m worth of business rate relief to 1,200 local premises and a universal rates holiday to every local business, regardless of industry, in March and April.

The council has also brought into force additional measures to support local retailers who wish to safely take advantage of additional trading hours during the festive period.

These include free parking in its car parks on market days and in the week before Christmas in all of the district’s towns and traffic-free late night shopping in Newbury during key peak periods.

Speaking about the support available, West Berkshire Council executive member for finance and economic development Ross Mackinnon said: “Our local businesses are the lifeblood of our district and we are committed to doing everything we can to help them through the most difficult trading period in living memory.

“Cases have gratefully been low in West Berkshire and this is due in no small part to their efforts to keep their customers safe.

“The financial support offered by national Government has been a great source of help for us as a local authority and for local businesses but I felt that it was important enhance this, as we did back in March through our universal business rates holiday, to offer some extra support to those most in need.

“I know how welcome these additional grants and measures will be to our pubs and shops.

“I also look forward to visiting the safe and welcoming environment they’ve worked hard to create in the run up to Christmas.”