Coronavirus (COVID-19) - support for businesses

Coming soon: £5m support package for business

We are continuing to prioritise support for small businesses and people whose jobs or employment prospects have been impacted by the pandemic.

In addition to the package of support already being delivered by the county council and programmes by a range of other organisations, including , Staffordshire County Council is working with our district and borough council partners to produce a package of support that will help more businesses and more people.

This includes:

• More funding on top of the Additional Restrictions Grant managed by the district and borough councils - the county council will be investing £860,000 towards the scheme.
• Contributing to the cost of apprentices through 'The Staffordshire 500' Apprentices Wage Support programme - Supporting smaller businesses not paying into the national apprenticeship levy by contributing to the cost of the wages of 16 to 24 year olds. This could create up to 500 apprentices.
• Up to £5,000 for re-training through the 'Nil Cost Training for Employers Top-up Project' - Offering businesses the opportunity to up-skill employees or train new staff if looking to change business operations or enter new markets. Up to £5,000 would be provided and matched through other funding sources. Up to 400 Staffordshire businesses could be supported over the next 15 months through the programme.
• The Small Business ‘To Thrive’ Financial Support programme - would offer grants to small businesses between £2,000 and £5,000 to cover expenditure costs. Applicants would need to demonstrate all the measures they have put in place to remain open during the restriction period.

Watch this space for more information when the new initiatives go live.

Other support you can access now

Over £615,000 in start-business support, including:

• The Start-Up Programme of free online webinars and training - get your business going
• The Start-Up Loans Scheme - of £3,000 to £5,000 for people who have completed the Start-Up Programme
• 'Ignite' - the start-up programme supporting students to start up their own business
• The Redundancy and Recruitment Triage Service - Free and one to one support for you and your staff if you are having to make redundancies. The service helps people discover their transferable skills and match them to new work.

What to do if there if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 at your business

If there are one of more confirmed cases reported to you by employees, visitors or NHS Test and Trace) at your business, please report the outbreak.

Advice and support

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub

Your first port of call for any business advice and guidance is the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub.

To speak with someone who can help, call the Staffordshire Business Helpline on 0300 111 8002.