Chancellor’s business grant announcement ‘is absolutely necessary’ says Preston BID

Getting back to some sort of normality in Fishergate Pic: Paul Melling

Preston Business Improvement District (BID) are urging all those eligible to apply for the new grant that Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today.

Retail, leisure and hospitality businesses will be able to claim a one-off grant of up to £9,000.

Up until this announcement, businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 have not been entitled to grants apart from furlough.

A spokesperson from Preston BID said: “We are delighted to see that the Chancellor has announced further, and critical, support for businesses enduring the third lockdown, it is absolutely necessary and urgently required.

“We have provided details to city centre businesses via our internal portals, and would now urge them to be ready to submit their application once able to.

“We encourage the local authority to get the application process up and running, and the grants awarded to those who meet the criteria, without delay.”

This new grant will cost £4.6 billion and to help businesses impacted by the pandemic. Details will be given in coming days and weeks about how businesses can apply for the grants.

PM Boris Johnson announced last night (Monday 5 January) that England will enter a national lockdown.

Everyone is advised to stay at home until they have an essential reason to leave. These include:

Shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
Go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
Exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
Meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
Seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
Attend education or childcare – for those eligible

Lockdown-3 is expected to last until at least mid-February.

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