Bolton Council has helped local businesses access more than £30m in grant funding to support them through the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has made grants of up to £10,000 available for small businesses with support of up to £25,000 for those in retail, hospitality and leisure.
Bolton Council has already processed more than 2,250 claims from local firms, with £30.14m worth of grants already awarded to a wide variety of businesses.
Staff have been redeployed from other departments to ensure that claims are processed promptly and the funds allocated as quickly as possible.
The council has also applied the government’s 100% business rates relief schemes for leisure, retail, hospitality and childcare in the 2020/21 financial year.
Our small businesses are the backbone of the Bolton community and we understand they need our support now more than ever.
Bolton Council Leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said:
“Our small businesses are the backbone of the Bolton community and we understand they need our support now more than ever.
“The government has rightly put various measures in place to support businesses at this difficult time and we are working hard to make sure these funds are allocated as quickly as possible.
“We have made this one of our key priorities and we have reallocated staff to ensure any remaining applications will be processed very soon.
“Hospitality, leisure and retail are vital for creating a varied and vibrant local economy and we hope these funds will help them survive this difficult period so they can thrive in the future.
“As well as these grants, there is a wide variety of support and advice available and I would urge everyone to visit the Business Bolton website for the latest information.”
Business Bolton is the council’s business support and advice service. Visit BusinessBolton.org for more information and to apply for a grant.