Bosses urged to apply as £55m paid to support Sheffield firms

The authority says it has given cash to 65 per cent of eligible businesses who have applied.

Some £113.1m funding was made available by the Government to help businesses in Sheffield survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Star previously reported that, by April 19, the city council had paid out to 35 per cent of the 9,334 businesses earmarked for grants – well below the national average of 50 per cent.

At that time, about 3,220 firms had received £37.8m.

Now, 11 days later, 4,600 have received money. That leaves 4,734 yet to be paid.

Coun Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment, urged business owners who thought they might qualify for a grant to get in touch.

He added: “We know that this is an extremely challenging time for a lot of businesses in Sheffield and we are working hard to process grants as quickly as possible.

“We’ve seen the percentage of business grant payments to eligible businesses rise from 50 per cent to 65 per cent in the last week alone, and the business rates team are making good progress on this.

“We’re also working to support businesses who are struggling to access grants, due to having to wait for their claims to be assessed by the Valuation Office Agency, or those who are not eligible due to the fact that they share their business premises.

“In these cases we are fighting their corner and lobbying central government for funding.

“It’s also important to say we still haven’t received applications from all eligible businesses in Sheffield, so I’d urge any business owners who think they may qualify for a grant to get in touch with us.”

It could take 10 days to process an application, he added.

Government support takes two forms. The Small Business Grants Fund is worth £10,000 and available to those who qualify for relief on their business rates due to their small size.

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund is open to those which would have qualified for a 100 per cent reduction in business rates under the Expanded Retail Discount scheme as of March 11.

Eligible businesses will receive a £10,000 grant if its rateable value is up to £15,000, and a grant of £25,000 if its rateable value is between £15,000 and £51,000.

Steve and Lesley Whiting received a support grant for their business Crumbs Sandwich Bar.

Lesley said: “The application process was straightforward, we had all the documents and information prepared in advance as advised and after about 15 mins the claim was completed and submitted.

“The relief and peace of mind this has given us at this financially worrying time is immense. It means we can now cover all our direct debits, such as rent and utilities for the next couple of months until we are out of lockdown and social distancing measures are relaxed.

“More importantly our little business will not go bankrupt and we can continue to serve our loyal customers once we reopen our doors.”

Rebecca Fielding, founder and managing director of graduate recruitment company Gradconsult, said: "Business Sheffield have provided us with excellent support as a small business during the Covid19 pandemic.

“We applied for the small business rate relief grant shortly after the form was opened on-line and had the £10,000 in our bank within ten days.

“The business advisors have also been a great support, signposting additional schemes and funding, posting regular updates and perhaps most importantly offering an independent, informed and supportive listening ear.

“There is a genuine desire and interest from the advisor team to support our local business community, they really seem to care about helping us, not only to get through these unusual times, but also to be set up to succeed in a post COVID-19 world. I’d recommend getting in touch with them to see if and how they can help you.”

More information on business grants can be found here, or you can contact Business Sheffield on 0114 224 5000 or email [email protected].

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