The Council is making significant progress processing grants for struggling businesses.
Thousands of businesses who risk missing out on cash grants are being tracked down by Birmingham City Council as the total number of payments made to date increases to almost £161.5 million.
Since April, 13,278 of businesses across Birmingham have received grants of £10,000 and £25,000 as part of the Government’s Small Business Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant schemes.
Having been awarded £231 million by the Government to support businesses in the city, the council is now trying to identify up to 3,100 businesses who are eligible for the money, but who have yet to provide their details for payment.
Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Birmingham businesses will be key to our post-COVID recovery, so we want to do everything we can to make sure those businesses who are entitled to these grants receive them. If you run a Birmingham business that has not yet applied for a grant, please do so now. You don’t even have to pay this money back.
“We’re working hard to safeguard Birmingham jobs and livelihoods, so our team is proactively calling, texting and emailing companies to encourage them to come forward. We require a certain amount of information from businesses to confirm their eligibility, but it’s important to note we will never ask for sensitive information via these communication channels; instead we will direct people to the secure form on our website where they can provide their details safely.”
Since council employees started to proactively contact businesses about the grants, they have received a mixed response ranging from businesses which were either unaware or declined the grant, had ceased trading or were unable to be reached.
To date about 1,500 businesses have been approached, with an estimated 1,600 still to contact.
Businesses which are unsure if they are eligible are being encouraged to review the criteria on the council’s website, which also includes a link to the form to submit details to receive payment.