Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000 to support them during the lockdown, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.
The funding commitment follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement last night that these businesses will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control coronavirus.
A further £594m is also being made available for local authorities and the devolved administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants that might be affected by the restrictions.
Chair of the Local Government Association's resources board, Cllr Richard Watts, welcomed the grants but said councils needed more details on how the schemes would work.
He added that the £594m should be kept under review to ensure it is enough to meet demand for support.
