Stratford-on-Avon District Council COVID-19 update - 6 May

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Press Release

Published on 6 May 2020
Archived on 6 June 2020


Stratford-on-Avon District Council COVID-19 update - 6 May

Key updates - 6 May

  • Discretionary Business Rates Grants

The Government has announced its intention to fund a discretionary business rates scheme. We and every other Council are waiting for the details and the amount allocated for the scheme.

We do not expect this to be received until early next week. When details are available we will make a specific announcement. In the meantime, please do NOT contact us to apply, as we will be unable to process any application and we cannot give you any useful information at this time. We also want to work in conjunction with neighbouring local authorities to reduce the 'postcode lottery' impact.

  • Council Tax Hardship Fund

We are still waiting for central government to provide details of how this scheme will be administered and the software to enable us to make the payments. There is no need to actively apply for this payment. When we are able to do so we will automatically credit the relevant resident's council tax bills to reduce their liability by £150

  • Venture House Business Support Update

The latest support package available for small businesses is the new 'Bounce Back' Loan. This loan is 100% guaranteed by central Government and allows small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. There is a short and simple application form with funds accessible within days.

The scheme launched on Monday 4 May and firms will be able to access these loans through a network of accredited lenders. More information is available at Read more here.

The Coronavirus Business Support Blog is now available to help businesses get the support they need to help with the impact of coronavirus. It contains business case studies as well posts from people across government and business.

Free courses are now available through The Skills Toolkit. This new platform gives people access to free, high-quality digital and numeracy courses to help build up their skills, progress in work and boost their job prospects.

To read more from Venture House Business Centre, take a look at their latest business update.

  • Committee Meetings

    The Council is moving rapidly to implementing virtual meetings with the first scheduled for a meeting of full Council on 27 May. As a test run there will be a limited agenda and virtual attendees. Our objective is to begin running full virtual committee meetings from early June

Cllr Tony Jefferson, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council says: "Slowly but surely we are beginning to plan for a return to 'business as usual', except it really will not be. As the support provided to the community is becoming routine we are now looking at what actions we can take to facilitate our economic recovery. We are already playing a full role in discussions with CWLEP and the WMCA."


Contact details

Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Elizabeth House, Church Street,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire,
CV37 6HX
Tel: 01789 267575

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Last updated on 06/05/2020