Caerphilly County Borough Council have approved £24.5million worth of business grants during the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Friday, April 24, the council had processed 2,077 successful applications, more than any other council in the Gwent area.

The support grants are available to businesses forced to close temporarily due to the lockdown, and applications can be made on the council’s website.

The council has paid tribute to staff who worked over the Easter period to process applications.  

Cllr Philippa Marsden, the council’s leader, said: “Caerphilly County Borough Council has processed more claims than any other local authority in Gwent.

“This has been achieved due to the hard work of our dedicated members of staff and the close working relationship we have with the business community. We have processed more than £20m of funding to the many small businesses who operate in Caerphilly County Borough and we continue to work hard to encourage further businesses to apply if they are eligible.

“Some members of staff gave up their Easter break, which shows how dedicated our workforce are. This Council will continue to back our local businesses.”

The funding has been made available by the Welsh Government and is processed and distributed by councils.

Hefin David, AM for Caerphilly, said: “A large number of businesses have contacted my office over the last few weeks.

“I have been working closely with the local authority throughout this process to ensure local businesses in the Caerphilly constituency receive the funding they are entitled to. This is a mammoth task at an unprecedented time, so I thank both the business community and the local authority for their efforts to date.”