More grants to help businesses recover from pandemic

The four new Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) schemes will act as a catalyst to boost recovery, growth, and innovation for local businesses, with or without commercial premises.

The grants, which will be distributed by Harborough District Council on behalf of the Government, will continue to support business sectors that have been severely impacted by the extended coronavirus restrictions, and encourage businesses to look to the future, in an innovative, greener, and more digitally connected manner. 

Earlier this month, Harborough District Council hosted a webinar, attended by more than 200 businesses, to help them understand the purpose of these new schemes and how to apply; it also enabled the Council to develop simplified proposals.

Three of the schemes will focus on supporting businesses to either:

• Go Digital – supporting digital technology solutions to improve business performance and encourage wider, online access to customers
• Go Green – helping businesses to reduce their carbon footprints, increase energy efficiency and reduce fixed costs
• Innovation – encouraging the adoption of sustainable and innovative solutions, by reviewing product or service delivery to improve operations or service provision

Plus:

• Business Survival – providing ‘funding of last resort’ to support businesses still severely impacted by the extended Covid-19 restrictions and which are not able to get any other support from other sources.

Cllr Phil King, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “These grants will help boost recovery, growth and innovation as well as enable businesses to become greener and more digitally connected. These grants will build on the £35million worth of Government support grants which we have already allocated locally.”

For details on how and where to apply visit the Council’s grants page 

If you would like to speak to the Council’s grants and funding officer email: Covid19discretionarygrantsupport@harborough.gov.uk