Initial grants of £500 are being offered to home-based and mobile businesses affected by the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic as part of the latest government funding.
Anyone who believes they are eligible is being encouraged to apply online via Bedford Borough Council’s website.
The Additional Restrictions Grants will be awarded to local businesses and home-based and mobile businesses that have fixed business costs and have experienced a significant reduction in income due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Previously, these businesses had been denied funding, but the Council has changed its criteria to reach as many affected businesses as possible.
Read: Council extends Business Support Grants but amount offered ‘disappointingly low’
The fixed amount of funding from the Government is intended to provide support to businesses right up until April 2022.
£2million of the ARG will be put towards these grants with the potential for further support for local businesses that qualify for an initial grant where the funding is available.
A Borough Council spokesperson said, “We’ve launched this scheme to make it as easy as possible for small home-based or mobile businesses to access this support. This expands on our previous scheme to include businesses such as mobile hairdressers, self-employed trades people, driving instructors and taxi drivers.
“Eligible businesses just need to fill out the online application on the Council’s website where it will be assessed and funding issued to everyone who meets the criteria.”
