The council set up the Hardship Fund with £500,000+ of Scottish Government funding, to help businesses affected by the Covid pandemic. It allocated this funding in full, on a first-come, first-served basis, to 102 local businesses.

Councillors agreed today to provide £98,000 of council funding to support the additional 27 businesses who qualified for support, but applied after the Hardship Fund had been paid out.

Councillor Robin Currie, leader of Argyll and Bute Council, said: “People need businesses to succeed so that there are local jobs. Communities need businesses to succeed so that there are local services. Businesses need help in moving on from the impact of the Covid pandemic. Agreeing this funding is about delivering benefits for individual businesses and the communities who need them.”

The council will contact the additional 27 businesses directly to arrange for them to receive the funding award.

The additional funding comes from the council’s Recovery and Renewal Fund. For more information please see item 5 of today’s Policy and Resources Committee – Discretionary/Hardship Fund Update.

In total the council has disbursed more than £2,500,000 to local businesses negatively affected by the Covid pandemic.