Government announces £4.6 billion in new lockdown grants to ‘support businesses and protect jobs’
The UK government has announced this morning that businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000.
It comes as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak unveils his latest £4.6 billion package to “support businesses and protect jobs” as the country enters into another national lockdown today following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night that these business will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control the virus.
These new grants – together with existing support already in place and continuing the form part of the #PlanForJobs – aims to “provide [these businesses] with certainty through the Spring period”.
The allocated funds are set to be provided on “a per-property basis” to support businesses through the latest restrictions, and is expected to benefit over 600,000 business properties worth £4 billion in total across all nations of the UK.
The government has confirmed that a further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses that are not eligible for the grants but might still be affected by the restrictions.
Businesses are asked to apply to their Local Authorities for support.
These new one-off grants also come in addition to the “billions of existing business support”, which include grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.
Announcing the new support package today, Mr Sunak said: “The new strain of the virus presents us all with a huge challenge, and whilst the vaccine is being rolled out, we have needed to tighten restrictions further.
“Throughout the pandemic we’ve taken swift action to protect lives and livelihoods and today we’re announcing a further cash injection to support businesses and jobs until the Spring.
“This will help businesses to get through the months ahead,
“And crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen.”
You can find more information regarding the new £4.6 billion support package here.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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