Council up to speed with COVID-19 business grant payments
Forest of Dean District Council has now paid out almost £15.75m in business support grants to 1,472 businesses in the district.
Figures correct on 24th April 2020.
All of the applications received over the last three weeks have been processed thanks to the efforts of staff who have worked tirelessly to get the cash to businesses as quickly as possible.
Cllr Tim Gwilliam, Leader of Forest of Dean District Council, said: “The team has and continues to perform wonders to have delivered this funding to so many businesses here in the Forest of Dean District. It would have been a remarkable achievement even in normal circumstances, but working from home, under lockdown and having to set up and use a new payments system makes the achievement even more notable.
We believe we have reached the vast majority of our eligible businesses but please take note, it's not too late. Any business who might think they are eligible please contact us at the Council.”
It is estimated that almost 600 businesses in the district could potentially be eligible for a grant and have not yet applied.
There are about 150 applications from businesses that are yet to receive the cash in their bank accounts. In these cases further checks are being undertaken to confirm eligibility. These applicants will be contacted by council staff within the next three or four working days.
With more than 1400 payments processed, the team can now typically process new applications in two working days if no further information is required with payments reaching business bank accounts through the BACS system two working days later.
Anyone who thinks they may be eligible for a grant should see:
https://www.fdean.gov.uk/business/coronavirus-business-and-licensing/
or call 01594 810000.