Calderdale Council hands out nearly £50m in business support grants

The Courier has been contacted by some business owners who say they have faced delays in receiving money they have applied for, but the council have defended their processing of the grants.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources, Coun Jane Scullion, said: “We know how important it is that Calderdale businesses receive the relevant support grants and we’ve been working as quickly as possible to process the grant applications.

“We’re now up to date with the vast majority of online submissions and have processed almost 4,500 grants - with over £50 million paid to local businesses.

“We’re aware that a small number of grant applications which still need to be considered - primarily businesses which have not previously registered for business rates or where there are other complications with the applications.

“With a number of different grants in place, it’s important that the correct grants can be paid to those eligible under the government’s guidelines and criteria. Verifying eligibility is time consuming and we thank businesses for their patience as we continue this process. We’re working through the outstanding applications and have redeployed staff resources from other Council services to further help the efforts.”