14.02.20
LEP establishes £2m flood recovery fund for SMEs
The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) has announced a £2m recovery fund for businesses in Calderdale that suffered in the Storm Ciara floods.
Working in partnership with Calderdale Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the LEP has established the Calderdale Business Flood Recovery Fund, worth £2m, to support around 600 business that were affected.
The majority of businesses in that area that were affected are small to medium sized firms, particularly leisure, retail and tourism – a lot of whom struggled to insure their businesses after the Boxing Day floods in 2015.
Up to £2,500 in emergency grants have been made available to support businesses and help cover short term costs such as replacing critical equipment, dehumidifying their properties and completing urgent repairs, enabling a swift return to work.
Larger grants are available for companies with mor severe devastation and damage to help with refurbishments and the replacing of larger equipment and machinery.
Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the LEP, said:
“It’s devastating to see the scale of damage in Calderdale and I can only imagine how heart-breaking it must be for those business owners and employees who have been affected.
“SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy and it’s vital that we work with our partners to help get the community back on its feet and open for business as soon as possible.”
Cllr Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council and Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the flooding, and we are doing everything we can to support them. There are major impacts across Calderdale, with 600 businesses flooded throughout the borough and significant recovery efforts ongoing.
“Local businesses are a vital part of our economy and we know how awful the impacts of flooding can be for their livelihoods. We want them to get back up and running as quickly as possible. I really welcome this initial injection of funding from the Leeds City Region, which recognises the unique scale of the challenges we face.
“We urge businesses to take up the grants available and are putting in place additional staffing to manage demand and ensure we can process claims as quickly as possible.”
Businesses looking for more information about the grants should e-mail [email protected] for further information.
Support is also available for businesses based elsewhere in the City Region that have been affected by flooding. Contact [email protected] for more information.