Covid-19: 'Excluded' Newcastle businesses eligible for help

Newcastle City Council is the last council n the area to provide support for "excluded" businesses

Businesses such as driving instructors, window cleaners and dog groomers will finally be eligible for grants to cover lockdown losses.

Newcastle City Council has been widely criticised for being the last authority in the area to arrange support

It has announced a £900,000 fund for home-based and mobile firms which were denied access to Covid funding.

Businesses forming the LA7 Excluded group said they had been "increasingly distraught and angry" at the delays.

From Tuesday, they will be able to apply for £1,500 grants from the new Springback fund.

However, the council said it expects it will not be big enough to help everyone and urged people to apply immediately, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Significant demand'

The authority was one of a number to come under pressure over a lack of funding for the so-called "excluded" businesses, and was last authority in the North East to agree to the support.

It previously said it could not help as it had already handed out its entire allocation from the government's Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) programme, before being awarded an extra £1.7m earlier this month. 

Director of place Michelle Percy said the council had "distributed tens of millions in business support grants, but there is still a significant demand for more help".

"Although we have received further funding, sadly again we expect demand to outstrip our allocation, so we are urging businesses to apply as soon as the fund launches as we expect this funding to go quickly," she said.

Priority will be given to businesses prevented from trading by Covid-19 restrictions with further money earmarked for those allowed to open which suffered losses due to reduced footfall.