Wiltshire Council increases available grant funding for local businesses
Over ÂŁ4 million has been applied for, leading to the increased funding
Wiltshire Council has increased the available funding from the Invest in Wiltshire grant scheme, thanks to the scheme becoming heavily over-subscribed.
Originally, the fund pot was ÂŁ1.35 million, but the high demand has driven that up to ÂŁ1.83 million.
But, there will still be disappointment for many of the 55 applications, as the total amount applied for passed ÂŁ4 million.
The grants are funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural Prosperity Fund and can be used by businesses to purchase new machinery, equipment or digital infrastructure, as well as improving premises or creating new workspaces.
All applications needed to show how they would create new jobs or more skilled jobs, while also helping the business to reduce its carbon footprint.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “Invest in Wiltshire has been a huge success, with 55 applications for grant funding.
“Unfortunately, the fund has been heavily over-subscribed, and the amount applied for greatly exceeds the funding that has been awarded to us by the government, and so some businesses will miss out, but we’ve done all we can to support Wiltshire businesses by increasing the pot to £1.83m.
“We are now assessing applications to establish which bids best meet the criteria, and we will let all applicants know whether they have been successful or not in the coming months. A grants panel will take the final decisions based on recommendations following assessment.
“It is of course disappointing that we can’t help all the businesses that have applied, but we are signposting them to alternative funding opportunities. The success of Invest in Wiltshire shows just what an appetite there is for businesses to grow and flourish in our county, and we will be using this to lobby for more money from government in the future.
“We have committed to having a thriving economy in our Business Plan, and £1.83m in Invest in Wiltshire grants will give businesses in our county the more opportunities for long-term success.”