£160 million paid to Shropshire businesses to aid Covid recovery

Shropshire Council paid out more than 31,600 grants since the start of the first lockdown to help ensure the county’s economy is best placed to bounce back and flourish.

The grants were paid over a 15-month period and have been processed by Shropshire Council, with funding from central government.

Councillor Ed Potter, portfolio holder for economic growth, regeneration and planning, said: “We are delighted to say that following the closure of the varying Covid-19 business support grants, we have managed to process more than £160 million to firms across the county.

“Nobody has ever experienced anything even close to what we have gone through over the last year and a half but I want to praise the work of our team which has helped businesses the length and breadth of the county, processing a range of grant support.

“We are absolutely committed to boosting the economy and ensuring we are both attracting business and helping our local firms grow.

“This support has been vital in keeping firms going throughout the pandemic and now they can flourish going forward.”

This has included Shropshire Council distributing all of its Additional Restrictions Grant funding allocated from Government to date.

The most recent support includes funding between £10,000 and £25,000 for firms that provide a wider economic benefit to the county beyond the business itself by directly supporting other businesses in their post-Covid recovery.

The scheme was created on June 4, launched on June 10 and all eligible businesses had been paid by June 30.

Councillor Potter added: “This most recent award has been a massive success and the speed in which applications were turned around and paid out is first class.”