SLOUGH businesses which have been affected by the coronavirus lockdown will get ‘relief’ from the council.

Slough Borough Council (SBC) will get nearly £18 million from the government, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement last month where grant funding will be distributed to local authorities for small businesses to be supported during the public health crisis.

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Businesses with a rateable value of up to £15,000 can apply for the one-off small business grant fund of £10,000 for those organisations in shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund is for businesses in those sectors with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 can receive a grant of £25,000.

Councillor James Swindlehurst, leader of the council, said: “The £18m allocation to Slough has been supplied by government for the Borough Council to distribute out as ‘relief’ to affected companies, organisations and businesses currently subject to making Business Rates payments in Slough – to offset those payments in light of the falls in business income due to restrictions on many businesses’ activity due to ‘lockdown’ instructions and trading restrictions.

“The Borough Council will be distributing the full amount to Slough’s affected Business-Rates-paying organisations in line with government instructions.”

He also said business rates bills will be reduced or written off for 2020/21 for those local organisations that have been hit hard by the virus.

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SBC has also received £3.5 million Covid-19 emergency additional funds from the government where most of the grant will be invested into frontline and essential services to assist with the additional pressures they face

Here is the breakdown of where the money will be allocated:

  • Adult Social Care – £2.5m
  • Children’s Social Care – £0.5m
  • Housing/Temporary Accommodation Provision – £0.2m
  • All Other Council functions – £0.3m

To apply for the one-off grants, click the following link and fill out the application form: http://www.slough.gov.uk/business/finance-funding-and-grants/coronavirus-and-business-rates.aspx.