BUSINESSES across Oldham have started receiving cash grants to support them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Oldham Council has already paid out £5.5 million and bosses say its team is working as quickly as possible to issue grants to eligible businesses.

The council is distributing the small business grant fund and retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund locally.

It is expecting to make overall payments of £52 million in cash grants to businesses in these sectors.

An online form at www.oldham.gov.uk/cashgrants has been launched for eligible businesses to submit information.

Cllr Abdul Jabbar, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate services, said: “We are working tirelessly to get these payments out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“We know these are worrying times for businesses of all sizes and we are doing all we can to support you at this time.

“We have thousands of payments to make so it will really help us if you can go online at www.oldham.gov.uk/cashgrants and complete the form on this page. Doing this ensures we have all the information we need to issue payments as quickly as possible.”

A cash grant of £10,000 is available for eligible small businesses who on March 11 were entitled to Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector will receive a cash grant of either £10,000 or £25,000 per property depending on rateable value.

In addition to the grants, the council has also processed the 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in Oldham – support totalling £22.9 million.

These businesses will receive a revised bill confirming they have no business rates to pay in 2020/21.

The council is writing to all businesses that we believe may be entitled to the grants. If you are concerned that we do not currently have your correct details, or if you have any questions, please email business.rates@oldham.gov.uk

Other Government financial support packages are also available for businesses and workers impacted by coronavirus:

• a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

• deferring VAT and Self-Assessment payments

• a Self-employment Income Support Scheme

• a Statutory Sick Pay relief package for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)

• the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank

• a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans

• the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme

For more information on any of the above visit www.businesssupport.gov.uk.