Shops and hospitality venues forced to close due to coronavirus restrictions still have time to apply for business support grants.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has been administering grants available to businesses throughout the pandemic into the current national lockdown.

Over 11,000 payments have been made to businesses within the borough, equating to over £18m since November 2020 to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government also announced an additional one-off lump sum payment of up to £9,000 for businesses forced to close under the current national lockdown restrictions.

This is being awarded alongside the grants available to closed businesses and there is no need for a separate application.

With many 'non-essential' businesses closed due to lockdown restrictions combined with the need to slow the spread of the virus, the message from the Council is that financial support help is available for those businesses that are eligible. Businesses can check if they are eligible for funding through the Council's website.

Under the national lockdown restrictions, businesses required to close include:

• Retail defined as non-essential - such as clothes shops, homeware stores, car showrooms, electrical shops.

• Personal services - such as hairdressers, beauticians, tattooists.

• Hospitality - such as cafes, restaurants and pubs but can provide a takeaway service

• Hotels, guest houses, leisure centres, indoor gyms, cinemas, museums and art galleries

You can find out more on the Cheshire West and Chester Council website.