Cash grants available for businesses reopening after lockdown

Pubs, restaurants and non-essential stores in east Suffolk could receive a cash boost of up to £18,000 each as they prepare to reopen after lockdown.

The Restart Grant, which was unveiled in March's Budget, has been launched today.

East Suffolk Council has said the scheme will support eligible businesses with one-off grants of between £2,667 to £18,000.

Two previous grant schemes, the Local Restrictions Support Grant and Additional Restrictions Grant, are now closed to new applications.

To be eligible to receive the Restart Grant, firms must be registered for business rates, trading on April 1 and fall into one of the relevant business sectors, which can be found on East Suffolk's website.

As part of the government's roadmap out of lockdown, non-essential stores can reopen on April 12 and hospitality venues can serve customers outside from this date.

Paul Wood, head of economic development and regeneration at East Suffolk, said: "The business grant schemes have seen over £103million paid out to local businesses in east Suffolk since the start of the pandemic.

"The latest scheme offers further support to businesses to help ensure they can re-open safely and get back to welcoming customers once again.

"We want to see all businesses in east Suffolk in the best possible position to recover, so we urge all those eligible to apply for this grant so they can receive the full amount they’re entitled to."