Covid crisis – council pays out more than £27m to 2,421 businesses

Neath Port Talbot Council has paid out to date £27.747m in grants to 2,421 local businesses to help alleviate financial problems posed by the coronavirus emergency.

Also, the council has given business rates relief of more than £8.8m to more than 700 businesses meaning those eligible businesses did not have to pay business rates for the current year as the council’s business and finance teams pulled out all the stops during the health crisis to make sure local businesses got as much financial assistance as possible.

Cllr Carol Clement-Williams, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We have been through unprecedented times in the past few months and I believe we reassured businesses by being there for them.

“I want to congratulate our Business Support and Business Rates teams who worked flat out to get the money to our local businesses as quickly as they did.

“We also publicised other grants on offer to make sure all our businesses were aware of what was out there in terms of financial help and we are doing our best to help them through the various processes of accessing the available money.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund (ERF), provided a variety of grants to various businesses.

The ERF has now closed but local councils are now running a new grant scheme aimed at supporting non-VAT registered limited companies and businesses that started between 1st April 2019 and 29th February 2020 (startups).

Applicants for the start-up support grant will need to submit a two-page application form and self-declaration supported by evidence and must go through this eligibility checker on the Business Wales website before applying: https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales.

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Argyfwng Covid – cyngor yn talu dros £27m i 2,421 o fusnesau

Mae Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot wedi talu £27.747 miliwn hyd yn hyn mewn grantiau i 2,421 o fusnesau lleol er mwyn helpu i leddfu problemau ariannol a gododd yn sgil yr argyfwng coronafeirws.

Yn ogystal, mae’r cyngor wedi rhoi rhyddhad ardrethi busnesau sy’n werth dros £8.8 miliwn i dros 700 o fusnesau, sy’n golygu na fu’n rhaid i’r busnesau hynny oedd yn gymwys dalu ardrethi busnes ar gyfer y flwyddyn gyfredol, wrth i dimau busnes a chyllid y cyngor fynd yr ail filltir yn ystod yr argyfwng iechyd i sicrhau fod busnesau lleol yn cael cymaint o gymorth ariannol â phosib.

Yn ôl y Cynghorydd Carol Clement-Williams, Aelod Cabinet Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot dros Gyllid: “Rydyn ni wedi dioddef cyfnod annhebyg i ddim byd o’r blaen dros y misoedd diwethaf, ac rwy’n grediniol ein bod wedi calonogi busnesau drwy fod ar gael iddyn nhw.

“Hoffwn longyfarch ein timau Cefnogi Busnes ac Ardrethi Busnes, a weithiodd fel slecs i gael yr arian i’n busnesau lleol gynted ag a wnaethon nhw.

“Fe wnaethon ni hefyd roi cyhoeddusrwydd i grantiau eraill oedd ar gael, er mwyn sicrhau fod pob un o’n busnesau’n ymwybodol o’r hyn oedd ar gael o ran cymorth ariannol, ac rydym ni’n gwneud ein gorau glas i’w helpu drwy’r prosesau amrywiol o gael mynediad i’r arian sydd ar gael.”

Yn ystod pandemig coronafeirws, mae Cronfa Cadernid Economaidd (ERF) Llywodraeth Cymru wedi darparu amrywiaeth o grantiau i amryw o fusnesau.

Mae’r ERF wedi cau bellach, ond mae cynghorau lleol bellach yn cynnal cynllun grantiau newydd a anelir at gefnogi cwmnïau cyfyngedig nad ydynt wedi cofrestru ar gyfer TAW a busnesau a ddechreuodd rhwng 1 Ebrill 2019 a 29 Chwefror 2020 (busnesau cychwyn).

Bydd angen i ymgeiswyr am y grant cefnogi cychwyn busnesau gyflwyno ffurflen gais sy’n ddwy dudalen o hyd, ynghyd a hunan-ddatganiad a gefnogir gan dystiolaeth, a rhaid mynd drwy’r gwiriwr cymhwysedd hwn ar wefan Busnes Cymru cyn ymgeisio: https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/cy.