Millions of pounds earmarked to help Milton Keynes firms survive during coronavirus lockdown going begging

The Government gave Milton Keynes Council a whopping £40million to hand out to small firms and those in the leisure industry to help them during the covid-19 emergency.

It was all part of a national handout to councils of £12.3 billion to help them through the enforced lockdown.

But at the start of this week, figures from the Government showed that in MK only 1,212 companies out of an estimated 3,027 had received £16,185,000 in total handouts. That’s only 40.3 per cent, much less than the national average of 48.65 per cent.

“Around 800 firms have not yet applied for their grants,” said Cllr Sam Crooks, the Lib Dem mayor of Milton Keynes.

“The critical thing is the pay day for many of April 30, and if they have cashflow issues, they should check their eligibility online and apply quickly.”

The council has the direct debit details of a minority of the companies in Milton Keynes, making payments to them automatic.

But with thousands of others, the council needs those firms to make contact. It then has a process of checking to make sure it sends the money to the right companies.

Emergency funding of up to £25,000 is available under the scheme.

All those companies that had rural rate or small business relief on March 11 are eligible for a £10,000 grant to meet ongoing business costs.

The Government announced a second scheme on March 17 for retail businesses to receive either £10,000 or £25,000 depending on their rateable values.

Grants under the scheme are provided for each eligible property, meaning that businesses with multiple outlets would receive more than one grant.

Firms may also receive grants from separate local authorities but only one grant can be paid per business premise.

For information on the support available for Milton Keynes businesses visit https://br-grant-mkc.lgss-revs-bens.com/