Felixstowe clubs, pubs, cafes and restaurants are among those that can benefit from a new £2 million business grant scheme.

East Suffolk Council has launched the new Hospitality Payment scheme, which offers further financial support to hospitality businesses in the district that continue to be severely impacted by the ongoing restrictions set by the Government in response to Covid-19.

The scheme consists of a one-off payment which will grant £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of under £15,000, £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 and £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.

Businesses within the hospitality sector which have been identified as being eligible for this scheme should expect to receive an email which will require further action to receive the payment. These business fall into the following categories:

Cafés

Coffee bars

Public houses

Public houses with bed and breakfast accommodation

Nightclubs

Private members clubs

Cllr Craig Rivett, cabinet member for Economic Development said: "This has been an exceptionally tough year for our hospitality sector, and we're committed to help them through this difficult time so they can come out at the other end in the strongest possible position to recover."

The Hospitality Payment comes in addition to the Local Restrictions Support Grants (LRSG), which have been available since the national lockdown in November 2020, and the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), which is available for those businesses who may fall outside the eligibility of the LRSG scheme.

Following the Government's announcement on Monday, 22 February, the Council is also preparing to process the next round of business grant payments for the 44-day period up to 31 March for all eligible businesses. This will result in another £6m in support for businesses in East Suffolk.

Eligible businesses which have already received a LRSG payment do not need to do anything to receive the next round of grant payments, as the Council will make the payment automatically.

If your business is eligible for a grant and you have not yet applied for the LRSG scheme, please apply as soon as possible – and before 31 March which will be the closing date for the initial allocation of the grant schemes.