A Jesmond business owner is urging other local businesses to sign up for grants that could help them survive the current crisis.

Grants of £10,000 or £25,000 are available for businesses which receive small business rate relief and those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

Newcastle City Council says it has helped more than 3,000 businesses receive nearly £40 million to help them through the crisis, but there are many more – around a third of eligible businesses – yet to apply. These grants are cash that central government has set aside to help small businesses and does not need to be paid back. 

Software company Nebula Labs, co-founded by Jesmond resident Dylan McKee, is one of the small businesses to have benefited from the scheme.

“It has been really useful in ensuring that our suppliers get paid and we can continue paying our city-centre office rent,” he says. “Thanks to the grant, we are able to focus on developing our business in this tough time. Our company is able to help our clients who are from the ed-tech industry, like people who are developing distance learning and video learning.

“The council has done a really good job with the process for applying, which was really easy. It’s just a two-step form and requires very few documents. I received an email within 10 days and the money soon after.

“If you have an eligible business, you should definitely apply for it. Without the funds, our business would have slowed down and impacted on future sales.”

However, McKee says he thinks more businesses should be made eligible for the grant. “A few of our suppliers that are smaller and usually work from home or hotdesk at co-working places have also been impacted. But just because they work out of those spaces, they can’t access the funds which a shame and pretty unfair.”

Newcastle City Council estimates that a third of businesses in the city which meet the government’s funding criteria have yet to apply.

The council says it is verifying and processing payments within five to ten working days. Its business support teams are also offering help and advice through an online form. 

Payments are made automatically into business bank accounts and business support staff will only contact businesses if there is an issue with their application. Newcastle City Council is asking businesses who have completed forms to check their bank accounts and only get in touch after the ten-day working period. 

For more information, visit www.newcastle.gov.uk/covidbusinesssupport which also details further government schemes and initiatives businesses may be able to access.