BUSINESS NEWS

New £3m funding for businesses hit by Leicester lockdown

New £3m funding for businesses hit by Leicester lockdown
Dan Martin
Dan MartinFreelance content creator & event hostDan Martin Content & Events

Posted: Thu 30th Jul 2020

The government has allocated £3m in funding to help businesses in Leicester deal with the impact of the local lockdown.

The city and some surrounding areas were returned to lockdown on 29 June with non-essential businesses forced to close following a spike in coronavirus cases.

Some restrictions have since been eased with non-essential shops allowed to reopen last Friday but only essential travel in the city is still allowed.

Local MPs called for extra grants to help local firms and in a letter today, health secretary Matt Hancock said Leicester City Council will receive £2.6m for business support, with £400,000 provided to Oadby and Wigston.

The council has also announced £500,000 to assist independent retailers in reopening including applying for licences to put seating outside their premises.

The government is expected to announce an update today on whether the local lockdown will be eased or extended.

Figures on Wednesday showed that Leicester recorded 48 COVID-19 cases of coronavirus over a 24-hour period, up from eight the day before. Oadby and Wigston has recorded no new cases for two days running.

Eagerly awaiting the news today if Leicester will be out of lockdown, and we can get back to supporting local and independent businesses in the city. The city has been under enough strain now#supportleicesterlocal @BIDLeicester @One_Leices @DiscoverLeices @visit_leicester pic.twitter.com/3ffYU7XuMG

— BE-LAVIE (@be_lavie) July 30, 2020

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Dan Martin
Dan MartinFreelance content creator & event hostDan Martin Content & Events
I'm a freelance content creator and event host who helps small businesses and the organisations that support them. I have 18 years of experience as a small business journalist having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs from billionaires like Sir Richard Branson to the founders behind brand new start-ups. I've worked for a range of leading small business publications and support groups, most recently as head of content at Enterprise Nation where I was responsible for the prolific output of content on the company's blog and social media. I'm based in Bristol where I run and host regular events with the local small business community and have strong connections to major business organisations in the south west region. In total, I've hosted over 50 events; from intimate meet-ups to conferences with an audience of hundreds including events for international brands like Facebook and Xero. I'm also a big fan of podcasts having hosted Enterprise Nation's Small Business Sessions as well as lots of online events including Facebook Live interviews, webinars and three live web chats from inside 10 Downing Street. With my partner, I co-run Lifestyle District, a lifestyle blog focused on culture, art, theatre and photography. I'm here to help. I'm volunteering free advice calls of up to an hour as part of the Recovery Advice for Business scheme, over the next 6 months. Please get in touch to see how I can help your business. 

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