New district centre fund worth £500,000 to support night-time economy

Croydon Council is giving an extra £500,000 to help boost pubs, clubs, restaurants and leisure businesses hit by the pandemic as part of a wider £6.4m programme to support the local economy.

Following two successful rounds of funding for evening and night-time economy grants a new third phase is being launched focused on district centre businesses.

District centre evening and night-time economy businesses are being urged to apply for a third phase of £10,000 grants funded by the government and run by the council.

The money is available to eligible businesses open in the evenings and night-times and includes pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels with a bar or restaurant, sports clubs, theatres and independent cinemas. As it is a grant, not a loan, it does not need to be paid back.

Michael Springer, a successful applicant in the previous rounds, runs Big Mike’s Calypso Kitchen at Boxpark, Croydon. He said: “Receiving the grant has been a lifeline. The application process was simple and smooth and any queries were dealt with professionally and quickly.

“Not only did the council support us, but it delivered. It’s been very tough but you ensured we were strong enough to stride forward.”

The funding is part of a £6,478,500 cash injection for local businesses comprising automatic and discretionary grants under Phase 3 of the Additional Restrictions Grant programme awarded by the government in the wake of Covid-19.

Croydon Council has so far distributed more than £70m to eligible businesses in the borough since the first lockdown and has made every effort to focus a large proportion of the government’s grant money on helping evening and night-time businesses which have been particularly hard-hit because of Covid-19.

For the third phase the council is prioritising the recovery of local businesses within our district centres. Further funding will be available to support the recovery of our businesses across the borough. Croydon Council will be in contact to applicable businesses.

Businesses that have already received an Evening and Night-time Economy Grant are not eligible. To view the eligibility criteria and apply for the new grant visit the council website.

The council will assess each application received within 20 working days and successful applicants will receive funding within seven working days following confirmation of their grant. The application closing date is 10 June.

“As a council we have made every effort to help our wonderful night-time economy which has suffered greatly over the past year. I am pleased to announce that we are focusing specifically on our struggling night-time economy in our district centres.

“The success of our previous rounds of funding proves there is a real need for our continual assistance and I urge every eligible district centre business to apply for the grant and in turn we will do all we can to ensure the money reaches you as quickly as possible.”

Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, cabinet member for communities, safety and business recovery

• To get up-to-date information sign-up to the council’s business newsletter. For extra support and advice email: economicdevelopment@croydon.gov.uk

2021-06-02T11:57:47+01:00 June 2nd, 2021|Recent news|