Essex County Council has committed extra grant funding of up to £7.2 million for Essex businesses trying to survive lockdown.

The fund includes a new Additional Business Support Grant for up to 60,000 self-employed people and small to medium-sized businesses who have previously missed out on Covid-19 support schemes.

The total business grant support available by the ECC is now up to £9.4 million – with 2.2m previously announced back in October last year.

An additional £1 million in Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans is also available to Essex businesses.

The new Additional Business Support funding will make up to £5,000 available to Essex businesses which have been excluded from accessing other Covid-19 financial support schemes.

This includes:

• people who are newly self-employed
• businesses who do not have rateable premises
• suppliers to industries which have had to remain closed for all or part of the pandemic

The funds of up to £7.2 million also extend the Essex Business Adaptation Grant scheme until July 2021, meaning more businesses will be able to access grants of up to £1,500 to create Covid-secure spaces.

Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Councillor Tony Ball, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has led to rapidly increasing rates of unemployment in Essex and the new grant funding of up to £7.2 million is designed to inject additional support to where it’s needed most, including for those businesses who have previously been unable to access financial support.

“Every business matters and we want to boost the recovery of the Essex economy and do all we can to get Essex back to business.”

The county’s city, district and borough councils are already supporting businesses with their applications for the additional £13m discretionary business grants provided by the government at the start of January.

Of the additional grant, £6.2 million is available for district councils to bid into immediately, while another £1 million will be made available once additional funding is released by the government.

£6.2m of the additional grant funding is available for district councils to bid into immediately with a further £1m to be made available once expected additional funding is released by government.

You can find information for how to apply for the grant at the council’s financial support page.