Self employed people in Stafford Borough are being urged to apply for £2,000 from a Covid-19 fund before time runs out.
Businesses in the borough who have suffered due to the pandemic have already been paid out more than £150,000. The one-off £2,000 payments were set aside for the self-employed, sole traders and small limited companies who had not received previous funding. And the deadline for applications is Wednesday (30 June).
The scheme is earmarked at eligible businesses, such as driving instructors, sports therapists, photographers, and artists, who have lost more than 30 per cent of income since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced in March 2020.
Conditions of receiving the grant also include having less than £50m turnover – and the business must prove they had been trading at the time and were registered at HM Revenues and Customs or Companies House.
Councillor Frances Beatty, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Planning, said she was pleased they were able to get money to those businesses who needed it most.
Councillor Beatty said: “There is still time for people to apply for funding, and I would urge everyone to make sure they provide us with all the information the Government requires us to collect to ensure our businesses get every penny they are entitled to.
“Unfortunately, without that information we cannot pay the business.”
The Borough Council appealed for applicants to ensure they provided all the information and evidence required so the local authority could make payments quickly. The list of documents that businesses must provide – such as bank statements, or a unique taxpayer reference – can be found at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/business-support-coronavirus.
During the pandemic, the Borough Council has distributed more than £47 million to hundreds of local businesses who have had to close, or have been significantly restricted, by measures introduced to control the spread of the virus.
Councillor Beatty added: “It has been a tremendously tough time for very many businesses and I am glad we have been able to distribute so much money to help them recover. It has also been great to hear some have used the financial support and advice we have provided to adapt with a stronger business model than before.”
More information from www.staffordbc.gov.uk/business-support-coronavirus.
