Rutland businesses forced to close during the second national COVID-19 lockdown will soon be able to apply for financial support through a new government grant scheme.

An online application form for businesses required to close as a result of the 5 November – 2 December National Lockdown will be made available on Rutland County Council's website next week (week commencing Monday 16 November). Once live, the form can be found at: www.rutland.gov.uk/covidbusiness.

This specific application process is only for businesses operating in sectors that are required to close by government because of the lockdown.

Applicants will be asked to read the council's policy to familiarise themselves with the eligibility criteria before applying for a grant. Businesses will also need to provide key pieces of information, so that the council can process applications as quickly as possible.

Councillor Gordon Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "This is positive news for our local business and we are expecting a high number of applications. Once the scheme is live online, our priority will be to work through the applications, check eligibility and make payments. We'll be working as hard as possible to get this done.

To help us do this, we would ask businesses to read the policy that accompanies this latest government grant scheme before applying and make sure they supply all the necessary supporting information."

If you own a local business and have any questions about the latest grant scheme, please visit: www.rutland.gov.uk/covidbusiness or email: [email protected].

For businesses that are not required to close but have been 'severely impacted' by the second COVID-19 lockdown, a separate support scheme is being developed and details will be confirmed in the near future.