Businesses can apply for restart grants worth thousands of pounds to help kick start Dudley borough’s recovery.

The grants are available from Dudley Council to help non-essential retail as well as hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms. The non-essential retail grants are intended to support businesses as coronavirus restrictions are eased across the country.

Allocation of the grants is based on the rateable value of the premises. Those with a rateable value of £15,000 and under can apply for £2,667 while those with a rateable value of £15,001 to £50,999 can apply for £4,000. Finally, those with a rateable value of £51,000 and above can ask for up to £6,000.

At the same time, grants are also available to hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses. They are also based on the rateable value of the property.

Those with a rateable value of £15,000 and under can receive £8,000 if eligible while those in the £15,001 to £50,999 range can apply for up to £12,000. Finally, businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 and over can ask for up to £18,000.

Businesses are set to start reopening on April 12 as restrictions are eased nationally. Sean Beckett, head of Revenue and Benefit Services, said:

"This is the latest round of business support grants that we are making available and I am sure they will be a huge help to businesses as they start to rebuild after an incredibly difficult period.

"Millions of pounds worth of financial help has already been shared with businesses across the borough and this latest funding will be the kickstart that many will need as we start to see non-essential retail begin to open up this month. 

"I would urge businesses who think they may be eligible to get in touch to see if we can help."

Most other national grants have now closed, and businesses can no longer apply. For more information on applying for the latest restart grants visit dudleybusinessfirst.org.uk.