Businesses in Dartford could be eligible for thousands of pounds in financial support thanks to new grant schemes being distributed by Dartford Borough Council.
The council will focus support on businesses recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and include one-off grants available under the Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grants Scheme (OHLG) to support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses facing further difficulties related to the current variant. To be eligible, businesses must have been trading on 30 December 2021. To check if your business is eligible please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-omicron-hospitality-and-leisure-grant.
Dartford Borough Council has also taken the decision to welcome applications from a wide range of sectors including hospitality, leisure, accommodation, personal care and tourism that do not qualify for OHLG but have been severely affected by Omicron. To be eligible, businesses must have been trading in Dartford on 30 December 2021.
A further grant programme will see up to £150,000 made available to suitably qualified organisations to develop events, promotions and cultural activities to support local businesses, boost footfall and support community activity as the Borough recovers from the pandemic. The scope for these events will be Borough-wide – not just the town centre.
Additionally, Dartford Borough Council is determined to recognise its roots as a market town with grants available to traders on Dartford’s Thursday or Saturday markets. Traders can apply for ARG funding designed to help permanent and permanent casual traders that have been severely impacted by Covid-19. This is a chance to bring more support to the traders who provide a vital service to the town centre.
Leader of the Council Jeremy Kite MBE said: “Throughout this pandemic, we’ve been providing various support grants for businesses to make sure they can weather this difficult time. I have been humbled by some of the comments we have received for our support, but managing the recovery is every bit as important as managing the crisis.
“We are starting 2022 on a cautious, but brighter note in relation to Covid and it is time to move ahead with the town’s recovery. We’re encouraging all eligible businesses to get in touch with us to see what support we can provide. We want these grants to offer a big boost to communities, direct support to small businesses and also help our market traders.”
For details of all the grants available please visit the Council’s Covid-19 Business Support pages at https://www.dartford.gov.uk/business-grants and direct any enquiries to the Economic Development Team at businessgrants@dartford.gov.uk.