Financial support: The UK government in late July announced a new grant scheme specifically designed for small businesses to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. £20m of new funding was made available in England, of which £627,724 has been allocated to the South-East. The scheme is designed to provide businesses with grants between £1,000 – £3,000 (£5,000 in special cases) to pay for services that help them recover. This includes:

• access to specialist professional IT advice
• purchasing of minor equipment to adapt or adopt new technology

As of 1 September 2020 no money has yet been paid out and the regional Growth Hub is expected to launch a application process for the Southeast Boost CoViD Recovery Grant (SEBCOR) shortly. You can find out more and register interest here.