Torbay businesses are encouraged to find out if they are eligible for additional financial support available to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on their business.

Since the start of the pandemic over £57m in grants have been paid out by us, but we think there may be still some more who are eligible who have not yet made an application.

When the financial support was announced last spring, additional staff were deployed to process the payments.

There are still lots of potentially eligible business that still haven’t registered, and we urge these businesses to go online and review what financial support is available.

Additionally, a Government portal for all business support signposts to additional support.

Grants are available for businesses across Torbay that have been closed or affected by local or national COVID-19 restrictions and support is available for rate-paying and non-rate paying businesses as well as smaller businesses that have fixed ongoing costs.

As well as the above, there is an additional “closed business support payment” for January which is a grant worth up to £9,000 for rate-paying businesses operating within the retail, hospitality and leisure sector that had to close in the January lockdown.

Businesses that have applied for these grants since November do not need to re-apply as further grant payments will be made as and when the new criteria becomes available; however those who have not applied are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

The deadline for these grants is currently 31 March, except for the wet-led pubs grant which has a deadline of 28 February.

Torbay Council Leader, Steve Darling said:

“It’s vital that the business community survive this extremely challenging period as we cautiously look towards economic recovery this spring and summer as restrictions ease. I urge any business that hasn’t already applied for these support packages to do so now before the deadlines.

“Torbay has suffered the effects of “three winters” which has had a disproportionate effect on our area due to our heavy dependence on the hospitality trade’ so we need to make sure that financial support gets to all those who are eligible for it.”

Torbay Council Deputy Leader, Darren Cowell said:

“I urge all Torbay businesses to apply for these grants if they haven’t already done so; and to share this message with their contacts in the business community.

“We know that this has been and continues to be a very difficult time as businesses struggle to keep going during the pandemic with increased safety measures. And we applaud those who have persevered through the difficulties of stopping and starting through the various tier levels and lockdowns."