Frustrated Northampton businesses still waiting for 'lifeline' relief grant while borough council brings in extra staff to tackle applications

Businesses in Northampton have had to wait two weeks for a crucial "lifeline" grant of up to £25,000 from the Government because of delays at the borough council.More than 2,200 small businesses in Northamptonshire have been paid more than £27m in grants to keep them going during the coronavirus lockdown.

But while hundreds of businesses in Kettering, Wellingborough and Corby received their grants automatically just days after the scheme was rolled out on April 3, some 1,300 businesses in Northampton have now been waiting for two weeks.

The council has reportedly received more than 1,700 applications for grants alone, and has so far processed some 400 of them for a total of £5m.

However, the borough council has come under criticism by struggling business owners for the delays, which asked for applicants to leave "between three to 10 working days" for their grants of either £10,000 or £25,000.

And several businesses have told the Chron the only reason they knew to apply for the grant on the council's website at all was by word of mouth.

Further, there has been more confusion because many applicants were told to expect a confirmation email that has never arrived.

It compares to Kettering and even Milton Keynes, where hundreds of grants were automatically issued within days based on receipt of business rates.

Meanwhlie, Northampton Borough Council used a manual online form. Reportedly, an IT issue over the weekend of April 3 meant many companies had to reapply, and the Chronicle & Echo has even spoken to businesses who have had to apply for the grant as many as four times.

Sarah Clark owns the "A Dancers World" clothing shop on Wellingborough Road. She says she applied for a £25,000 grant on the day it was rolled out but has heard nothing since.

She told the Chron: "This grant is a lifeline I really need. I supply clothes for dance shows and events. When the pandemic broke out I had hundreds of thousands of pounds of refunds because shows were cancelled, as well as weddings and proms.

"But I've still got to pay furloughed staff, rent, overheads, and suppliers. And my landlord still has a mortgage to pay and as far as they can see I'm applicable for the grant, so they still need payment.

"It's stressful and worrying. The shop has been here for 30 years, and I've owned it for 13 years. It would be nice to still have a bricks and mortar shop when all this is over."

The borough council says they have brought in additional staff who are "working seven-days-a-week" to tackle the number of applications, who leader Jonathan Nunn thanked in a statement.

He said: "Our staff are working tirelessly to process these applications as quickly as possible and I am extremely grateful to them.

“I would like to thank businesses for their patience and apologise that we are unable to respond to individual queries at this time.

“We want to ensure businesses benefit from this support, but the government also need to know that funds are being paid to the right people, so it’s essential that we take due diligence when administering these grants.

“We must be thorough, as it’s tax-payers money we are paying out, and there is some evidence of false applications being made to councils across the country.

“I would urge businesses to read the information as soon as possible, to see if they can benefit from the support on offer."

Businesses which have not yet accessed a grant can do so on the borough council's website.Eligible businesses with premises with a rateable value of up to £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000, while those with premises with a rateable value of over £15,000 but less than £51,000, will receive a grant of £25,000.