One week remaining to apply for business funding

Businesses in Bridgend County Borough are being encouraged to apply for Welsh Government funding which aims to ease the impact of the Omicron variant.

Retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses have until 14 February 2022 to apply for one of two funds, the Non-Domestic Rate Grant and the Emergency Business Fund, which were launched in December last year.

The purpose of the Non-Domestic Rate Grant is to support businesses with their immediate cash flow and to help them survive the economic consequences of additional restrictions introduced on the 26 December 2021 necessary to control the spread of Covid-19.

Businesses in Bridgend County Borough who pay non-domestic rates will be entitled to a payment of £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000 depending on their rateable value and will need to re-register their details with the council in order to receive the payment. Registration is available on the local authority’s website.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Business Fund was launched to support businesses in the leisure, tourism, retail and hospitality sectors who do not pay business rates and are not eligible for the Economic Resilience Fund.

A £1,000 cash grant payment is available to businesses which do not employ anyone apart from the owner and do not have a property, while a £2,000 cash grant payment is available for businesses who employ staff through PAYE. Applications are available on the local authority’s website.

Both funds are intended to cover the business impact from the 13 December 2021 to the 14 February 2022.

We would like to encourage businesses to take advantage of these grants before the deadline for applications comes on 14 February.

The funding from Welsh Government has come as a welcome relief for many businesses across the county borough who continue to be affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

This fund will provide a much-needed boost and will go some way towards strengthening resilience among businesses, expanding opportunities and safeguarding jobs.

Council Leader Huw David

Businesses cannot apply for both grants and are warned not to expect automatic payments.

For more information, visit the Welsh Government business support page on the council’s website.