Warwickshire County Council has launched a major new £300,000 business support programme to help SMEs in the county recover from the devastating impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The “Survive, Sustain and Grow” programme is part of an initial £5 million package of investment which has been approved by Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet to help businesses on the road to recovery and boost the economy.
This new and free initiative will provide an enhanced business consultancy service to assist businesses with their post-Covid-19 recovery plans.
It is open to all micro and small enterprises based in Warwickshire and will offer a tailored recovery support package through its network of specialist consultants.
They will assist in developing and delivering a robust business framework that will identify key stages, challenges, opportunities and potential access to grant funding for businesses to consider as they progress towards succeeding post-Covid-19.
All support will be provided free of charge and will look to engage with companies in all business sectors but there will be a particular focus on retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “SMEs are the backbone of the economy and the County Council moved quickly to put aside an initial £5 million to invest in funding which is needed now to help these businesses survive.
“We particularly wanted to design a funding scheme which would support the sectors most affected by Covid-19 as well as add value to other programmes.
“We have launched the Survive, Sustain and Grow programme to complement existing County Council and other sub-regional business support programmes – which focus on business growth. These offer bespoke, in-depth business advice and mentoring to small businesses facing new demands and challenges on an unprecedented scale due to Covid-19 including, for many owners, the survival and sustainability of their business.
“It has also been designed to dovetail with existing business support programmes by focusing on the retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors – some of the sectors most affected by Covid-19 – which have such a high presence in our county.
“Just as companies have weathered other economic downturns, we can all work together to survive this and we believe the Survive, Sustain and Grow scheme will have a significant role to play in helping businesses in our county to start planning for the future with more optimism.”
For further information, please visit Warwickshire County Council’s website at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/directory-record/6451/survive-sustain-and-grow-supporting-post-covid-19-business-recovery-in-warwickshire to find out more about how to implement the free Survive, Sustain and Grow strategy.
