Moray businesses urged to apply for Covid grants

MORAY businesses are being urged to apply for lifeline grants made available by the Scottish Government.

Moray Council is still accepting applications for the Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBF) and the Discretionary Business Fund.

So far the council, which processes applications on behalf of the Scottish Government, has received 1,092 applications for the SFBF and has paid out £1.45 million to eligible businesses.

It has so far received 277 applications for the new discretionary fund, with £176,000 paid out.

The council’s head of economic growth and development, Jim Grant, said: "We recognise the financial challenges being faced by businesses in light of the pandemic restrictions, and we’ve been working tirelessly to support them through a quick and efficient turnaround of grant applications.

"We’d particularly encourage applications from trades, garages and workshops for the discretionary fund as we haven’t seen many from these sectors yet. If you think your business might be eligible, look at the information on our website and submit an application.

"If you've already submitted an application for a business grant but haven’t heard from us yet, please do not follow up with emails or calls – we’re working as hard as we can and we’ll get to you sooner if we can prioritise the processing of existing applications."

The SFBF was set up to support businesses required to close or to significantly change operations due to Covid-19 restrictions from November 2 last year.

The council is offering Discretionary Business Fund support to specific local groups, sectors or businesses who have not been able to receive any other recent funding and are unlikely to benefit from any planned future funding schemes.

Eligibility criteria apply to both funds, and details can be found on the council’s website.