MORE than £6 million has been paid to businesses in County Durham in the last two weeks to help them deal with the effects of local and national coronavirus restrictions.

Durham County Council said, since November 12, it has processed more than 3,000 applications and awarded 4,145 grants totalling more than £6.5 million – including more than £2 million for hospitality businesses.

Meanwhile, it is anticipated that all outstanding applications will be processed by the end of this week.

With the county now in Tier 3 restrictions, the council will contact hospitality businesses which have previously claimed support to let them know they are eligible for further grants. They will not need to make a new claim for support.

The following grants are currently available to those businesses that remain closed:

• Eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will receive grants of £667 per two weeks.

• Eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive grants of £1,000 per two weeks.

• Eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value of £51,000 or over will receive grants of £1,500 per two weeks.

Government guidance also states that the grants are to be paid fortnightly in arrears so businesses should expect the first Tier 3 grants to be paid on or around 16-17 December.

Councillor Carl Marshall, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We know how challenging the restrictions have been, and will continue to be, for many businesses in County Durham. Our staff are continuing to work tirelessly to process current applications to support those who have had to close during the second national lockdown. The £6.5 million that we have already awarded during this period will help to keep tens of thousands of people in jobs across the county and we will ensure we respond as quickly and efficiently as possible during the Tier 3 restrictions.

“However, the current Government support has not gone far enough for our county and more must be done to help our hospitality sector, which is being forced to remain closed during what should be a very busy month. We are calling for more support to be given to our pubs and hospitality businesses that are required to close in order to help see them through this difficult period.

“This is vital not just for individual companies and their staff, but for the county’s economy, as businesses play a key role in ensuring the resilience of our towns and villages and they must be supported as much as possible.”

For details visit durham.gov.uk/covid19businessgrants

As well as the latest national grants, the council and other North East organisations are offering a range of support programmes for businesses.

To find out more, visit businessdurham.co.uk/covid-19-recovery/covid-recovery-for-businesses.

Advice and information about support for tourism businesses is available at visitcountydurham.org/covid-19