Posted on 9th Sep
Small businesses in the area can now access grant funding to cover the cost of a range of services.
The £20m grant scheme will dispense grants of £1,000-£5,000 to small and medium-sized businesses to help them access professional services, including advice from accountants, HR experts and lawyers.
The scheme can also be used for the purchase of new technology and equipment.
A legal company with an office in Newark says that means services can be fully funded through the scheme and there is no obligation for businesses to contribute financially.
Duncan & Toplis provides many of the services that would be eligible for this support, including accountancy services, business advice and HR support as well as legal services available through its newly-launched company, Duncan & Toplis Legal Services.
The £20m has been provided by the England European Regional Development Fund and allocated to Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Hubs to support businesses in each area.
Each LEP has been allocated a minimum of £250,000, with Greater Lincolnshire getting £507,928 and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire £720,398. The LEP growth hub network works alongside local, national, public and private sector partners to coordinate and connect local businesses to the support they need.
Funding is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Damon Brain, director at Duncan & Toplis, said: “As we recover from lockdown and the worst economic shock in 100 years, businesses will need help to protect their workers, adapt to the ‘new normal’ and make the most of any opportunities to grow and thrive.
“At Duncan & Toplis, we support thousands of small businesses across the East Midlands and we’re working hard to help all of our clients through the services we can offer.
“Now, this new grant can help us to support even more small to medium-sized businesses at this critical time. Whether it’s through accountancy, business advice, legal services, or HR support, eligible businesses can secure financial support that can cover all of our costs.
“This could be of enormous benefit to businesses that are struggling, hopefully saving jobs and livelihoods.”
For more information about the scheme and how to apply where you are, visit your local LEP website — www.d2n2lep.org for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and www.businesslincolnshire.com for Greater Lincolnshire.
Alternatively, contact Duncan & Toplis via www.duntop.co.uk
Since the start of the lockdown, Duncan & Toplis’ support has helped 464 businesses access more than £10m in Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme support and helped clients to access a further £12.99m in other funding to help them through the pandemic.
