COUNTY DURHAM is among the top five areas of the country for grants paid out to businesses struggling with the effects of coronavirus.

At the latest count, Durham County Council has paid out almost £66m to more than 6,000 firms working in the county. Bosses expect this could rise to £88m under the current set of government funding schemes.

The role of the county council was praised by Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who singled out County Durham, as well as councils in Cornwall, Northumberland, East Yorkshire and Leeds, which made up the top five in terms of grants paid out.

Clr Carl Marshall, Durham's cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “I’m really proud of the fact that we’re leading the way in terms of supporting local businesses.

“We know how important this funding is for businesses across our county and that’s why we worked hard to contact as many as we could before we’d received funding from the government.

“We appreciate that many businesses will have been worried about their survival at the start of these unsettling times and we hope our quick response has helped.

“However, we acknowledge that there are many other smaller companies and sole traders who haven’t been able to access financial support and I would urge the government to look at all available options to help them so that all of our local businesses are able to survive this outbreak.

“This recognition is also a testament to our staff who have worked tirelessly to support our local businesses.

“Despite having to work flexibly from home in what are very difficult circumstances, they have been so committed to prioritising these payments.

“This recognition highlights what a brilliant team they are and I’m so thankful to them for their hard work.”