1,700 Newcastle businesses receive £13.8 million cash lifeline

One-off grants worth £1,000 for wet-led pubs who missed out on the Christmas trading period, as well as grants for businesses forced to close due to Tier Three, Tier Four and national restrictions have been administered by Newcastle City Council, following its launch on 7 January.

The council has administered over £80 million in business support grants to support the local economy since the start of the pandemic.

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for employment and culture at Newcastle City Council said: “We know that local businesses are really suffering especially the hospitality trade who have been hardest-hit, and it was our clear commitment to get this vital cash lifeline to firms as quickly as possible.

“Our teams have worked flat out to have simple processes in place to reduce bureaucratic burden on businesses at a hugely stressful time and ensuring we got funding out as fast as we could, with staff deployed from other services to fast-track payments.

“We’re here to support our businesses across the city, to save jobs and keep the local economy going.”

All eligible businesses were contacted directly by the council to invite them to complete a short application form so funding could reach businesses as quickly as possible, with payments made directly into their bank accounts within ten working days.

 Keep up to date with the latest business support news at www.newcastle.gov.uk/covidbusinesssupport