Northumberland council among top in country after handing out £64m in business grants

But the authority estimates that there could be a further 1,500 companies eligible which are yet to claim their grants of either £10,000 or £25,000.

In Northumberland, around 75% of eligible businesses have claimed so far, with £63,875,000 paid to 5,667 companies.

According to Cabinet Office figures, the council has now paid out the fourth highest value of grants in England, after Durham, Leeds and Cornwall.

Council leader Peter Jackson said: “I am extremely pleased that so many businesses have been able to benefit from these grants and that our team have been able to pay out so much funding so quickly.

“There are still businesses out there who we believe are eligible and I urge anyone who runs a small business and hasn’t been in touch with us yet to do so. Funding is available and once we confirm that you meet the criteria, we will process your case as quickly as we can.”

Businesses which were eligible for small or rural business rate relief as of March 11 this year can get a grant of £10,000, while retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that were eligible at that time for the expanded retail discount scheme and have a rateable value of less than £51,000 can claim either £10,000 (rateable value of £15,000 and below) or £25,000 (£15,000 to £51,000).

Full details as well as information on other support are available on the council’s business hub – www.northumberland.gov.uk/BusinessHub

So far, £6.11billion has been paid out nationally to 491,725 businesses, although this represents only around half of the grant funding that has been allocated.

Coun Richard Watts, chairman of the Local Government Association’s resources board, said: “Government grants are a vital lifeline to businesses struggling at this time and worried about the future.

“Councils are working fast to ensure businesses eligible for this money are receiving it as quickly as possible.”

Last week, Northumberland County Council revealed that it is lobbying the Government to provide more cash for ‘businesses that are falling between the cracks’, with particular concern about the county’s tourism industry.

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