£24.9m support for business in Darlington

Almost £25m of support has been given to over 2,000 Darlington businesses to help them survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cash injection has come from central government through a range of schemes designed to help businesses survive the difficult trading conditions through the lockdown period.

The grants and loans have been administered through Darlington Borough Council with teams working under pressure to meet deadlines and get support to those who needed it as quickly as possible.

In many cases council staff had only weeks to devise and administer the grants compared to normal schemes that can take months to set up. The breakdown of support is as follows: Small Business Grants & Retail, Hospitality, Leisure Grants - £23,765,000; Discretionary Grants - £1,150,000.

Leader of Darlington Borough Council, Councillor Heather Scott, said:

“These have been incredibly challenging times for business locally and nationally, with little or no revenue coming in and bills to pay. Thankfully, through these grants from central government, we have been able to offer a lifeline to help local businesses survive.

“Time was of the essence in dealing with this situation. We had to make sure that grants reached businesses quickly before it was too late. Recognition must go to the dedicated teams of council staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure these grants were administered and distributed in what must be record time.”

Continued help and support is available through the council’s business support team. They can be contacted by email at business.support@darlington.gov.uk