Finance Secretary pledges additional £41m to support business in level four restrictions
It's in addition to the £570 million support package which has been available since November.
An additional £41 million of support funds has been made available for non-essential retail and gyms, after they were forced to close from Boxing Day.
Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said the money would help non-essential businesses affected by the Level four restrictions.
It's in addition to the £570 million support package which has been available since November.
Businesses required to close or modify their operations by law can apply for a Temporary Closure Grant or a Business Restrictions Grant through their local authority website. Grants of up to £3,000 are available for every four weeks of restrictions, payable in arrears while restrictions last.
Non-essential retail and gyms will be given up to an additional £3,000 and can claim this funding through their local authority website if they have not already submitted an application.
The cap on the maximum support available through the Strategic Framework Business Fund will also be lifted from January 1 for businesses that operate from multiple premises.
Ms Forbes said: "With mainland Scotland now entering level 4, the Strategic Framework Business Fund is already open to businesses required to close or modify their operations by law.
"In recognition of the substantial increase in the number of businesses eligible for support, I have provided additional financial resources of £7 million to local authorities to upscale operations and streamline grants.
"Work is already under way to ensure businesses get support as quickly as possible.
"I recently announced a top up grant to hospitality businesses, and today I can confirm that a further top up grant will be provided to non-essential retail businesses and gyms.
"Since March the Scottish Government has allocated more than £2.3 billion to business support and more than £1.2 billion to economic recovery.
"On top of the additional £570 million package of support announced at the start of this month, these changes will manage that increased demand, accelerating the grant application process and in turn getting these essential payments to businesses as quickly as possible.
"We welcome the news of further consequentials and will set out shortly how these will be utilised to meet the needs of business. It is likely that a significant amount will be used to meet the substantial increase in businesses applying to the Strategic Framework Business Fund at Level 4."
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