Business owners in the Dorset Council area are being reminded they can apply for financial support if they are affected by the current Tier 2 restrictions or by the previous national lockdowns.

A number of support grants are available for a wide range of businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

These include the new Christmas Support Payment for pubs predominantly serving alcohol rather than food, that have been severely impacted over the festive season due to temporary local restrictions from 2 to 29 December 2020.

The Christmas Support Payment, provided by the government, and administered by Dorset Council, is for businesses where food sales make up less than 50% of their income.

Other grants available

Other grants remain open to businesses in the Dorset Council area which have been required to close during national or local restrictions, or which continue to be severely impacted by the pandemic.

To find out which grant your business can claim go to www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/business-grants.

Councillor Gary Suttle, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Commercial and Capital Strategy, said: “We want to remind Dorset businesses that financial support is available for them. If you run a business and have been affected by the current restrictions or previous lockdowns, a range of funding is available depending on your type of business.

“The council is committed to ensuring Dorset businesses receive the support to which they are entitled. Please take a look at our webpages and see which grant your business qualifies for.”