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Businesses in Wales that continue to be affected by coronavirus restrictions could receive up to £25,000 in support, the Welsh Government’s Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced.
The support will help the businesses which still have to close due to the restrictions, by covering the operating costs for July and August.
Businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors that have been impacted by the ongoing restrictions, as well as their supply chains, will be able to claim the funding.
The fund will open to applications from Tuesday, July 13 and will close on Friday, July 23.
Businesses will be able to claim between £1,000 and £25,000, depending on their size and circumstances.
However, businesses will need to be able to show their turnover has been reduced by more than 60% compared to 2019 when applying for the support.
The Welsh Government has “pulled every lever we can to back Welsh businesses” during the pandemic, according to Mr Gething.
He said: “We’ve provided in excess of £2.5bn funding to Welsh businesses, in a package that has been designed to complement and build on the support provided by the UK Government. We’ve also extended our 100% business rate relief package until the end of this financial year.
“This targeted approach, focused particularly on backing small businesses and Welsh communities, has helped protect in excess of 160,000 Welsh jobs which might otherwise have been lost.”
Announcing the funding on Wednesday, June 30, the Economy Minister said: “To support businesses further, I am today announcing additional support to help cover the costs of those business in Wales that need to remain closed, or remain significantly impacted by Wales’ staged transition to Alert Level One, which was made necessary by the risks posed by the delta variant.
“This Welsh Government is determined to do all we can to support Welsh businesses during these incredibly difficult times.”
Businesses will be able to check if they’re eligible for support from July 5, when an eligibility checker will launch on the Business Wales website.
The Welsh Government has said it expects this round of support to be the “final package of emergency support for those business that are able to trade, based on the current level of Covid restrictions”.
In a statement, the Welsh Government said ministers will review the need for additional support “should new restrictions be required in response to a new variant or other emerging developments”.
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