NEARLY £5 million has been approved to help more than 400 Argyll and Bute businesses struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Argyll and Bute Council says it has processed 446 applications from firms in the area for the Business Support Grant, which the local authority is administering on behalf of the UK government.

Detailed information on the number of applications received so far, and the sums approved, is included in a report to a new emergency committee set up for the duration of the crisis.

According to the report to the council's 'business continuity committee', which is due to meet via Skype on April 16, 390 one-off grants of £10,000 have been approved by council officials so far, along with 37 applications for one-off payments of £25,000 – a total of £4.825m.

The £10,000 grant is payable to small businesses in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme, Rural Relief, Nursery Relief or Disabled Relief.

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The larger £25,000 grants are payable to the ratepayers of retail, hospitality or leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £18,000 and £50,999.

The deadline for applications to both schemes is March 31, 2021.

The total is not broken down into how many businesses from each of Argyll and Bute’s four administrative areas have applied, while the report does not say whether the sums approved have been passed on to the applicants.

The report, by interim executive director Kirsty Flanagan, said: “The council is administering the business support grant, and an initial advance of the funding (80 per cent) was provided to councils on April 1, with the remaining amount to be disbursed at a later stage.

“As at close of business on April 6, there are approximately 1,300 emails relating to business grants (some will be applications, others will be queries or follow-up to information requested) and 446 applications have been processed.

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“By grant type, 418 have been processed for the £10,000 grant with 390 approved and 49 processed for the £25,000 grant with 37 approved.

“The council has launched a Coronavirus 'Caring for People' helpline and this is set up to help with all types of advice linked to coronavirus. The number is 01546 605524.

“Information on support for businesses is also on the council website within the coronavirus help and advice section and is updated regularly.”

As well as the business support grants, the UK and Scottish Governments are making other packages available to help businesses in the current climate, which are detailed in the report.

These include the job retention scheme, self-employment income support, non-domestic rates relief and deferral of VAT payments.

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