New data shows small businesses received £21.3bn in COVID-19 local authority business support grants
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has today announced (19 August) that a new report has shown that smaller businesses across the whole of England received £21.3 billion through the government's COVID-19 Local Authority Business Support Grants scheme.
The new data – which includes a sector breakdown for the first time – shows over one-third of all available funding was allocated to the accommodation and food services sector, a part of the economy hit hardest by the pandemic.
The grant scheme was created by the government and administered by councils, with all regions in England found to have allocated most of their total available funds to businesses in need.
Data release: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses