Colchester Borough Council (CBC) is awarding the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea) an additional £70,000 to support local businesses recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This funding will be awarded to Colbea to deliver a programme of business support, information, advice and guidance between April 2021- March 2022. The programme will comprise of workshops, advice sessions and entrepreneurial training courses.
The funding is part of the Government’s discretionary fund and will help assist local businesses through the recovery process through the next financial year.
Councillor David King, Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources, said: “We understand what a challenging time the last year has been for businesses, that’s why our priority is to continue to support them through the recovery process. This significant funding will help create confidence in a time of economic uncertainty.
Colbea, provides an invaluable support to local businesses; their expert advice could be the difference between success and failure for some. We are committed to retaining their skills and advice to support our community enterprises and those they employ through the coming year of economic recovery.
“This is a continuation of the extensive support the Council has been on hand to offer with the recovery of the local economy. We have distributed over £51.5million in grants; and were ranked by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as third best in the whole country for the distribution of Covid Discretionary Business Support Grants.
“We will continue to work with partners and the Business Improvement District to ensure businesses can open and consumers can return with confidence to Colchester town centre.”
Colbea Chief Executive, Ashleigh Seymour-Rutherford said: “This additional funding is a welcome relief for small business in Colchester and will enable them to continue to seek our advice and support. Colbea has worked closely with CBC to support business through the pandemic.
“The recent demand for our one-to-one business and support and advice sessions has been recognised and this additional funding will be crucial in helping us to continue to offer fully funded expert business advice sessions and training throughout Colchester. We are committed to helping drive forward economic growth and we are ready and waiting to help businesses recover and succeed.”
For more information on Colbea and to book a fully funded appointment with an advisor call 01206 548833 between 9:00am and 5:00pm or email enquiries@colbea.co.uk. An advisor will contact you within two working days. A dedicated webpage on Coronavirus Business Advice and frequently asked questions can be found here https://colbea.co.uk/business-advice-coronavirus/.
For information on the Council’s response to COVID-19 and on business grants visit www.colchester.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Page last reviewed: 18 March 2021