Business groups ask Executive to ‘fill in COVID-19 funding gaps’

The firms include 10 local chambers of commerce along with Enterprise NI which represents the region’s 28 Local Enterprise Agencies and Social Enterprise NI, the representative body for social enterprises and social entrepreneurs.

In the letter issued to the Economy Minister, the Finance Minister and the Communities Minister, the organisations said they were “immensely grateful for the support offered by the Northern Ireland Executive for businesses grappling with the sudden and severe impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on many of them.”

However they had “identified a number of gaps in the support being offered.”

They also suggested that the Executive should consider the establishment of an emergency support scheme to ensure that businesses not eligible for the grant schemes announced by the Executive do not fall through the cracks and remain unable to get assistance.

Commenting on the joint letter, Belfast Chamber Chief Executive Simon Hamilton, called on officials “to act so that businesses and social enterprises who urgently need support can access it.”

“We completely recognise that our Executive have had to respond quickly to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having upon our economy and that has resulted in some gaps in the grant scheme.”, he said.

“In coming together as organisations representing thousands of businesses and social enterprises located in all parts of our region, we are shining a spotlight on some of those gaps that have emerged because of the use of the rates system to deliver the grant scheme and asking the Executive to act so that businesses and social enterprises who urgently need support can access it.

“Amongst the gaps we have identified are the many entrepreneurs operating in serviced office accommodation and flexible workspaces as well as charities and social enterprises, both of whom have been excluded from the grant scheme because they don’t directly pay rates or are exempt from rates.

“Businesses in flexible workspaces, social enterprises and others not initially included in the Executive’s grant scheme have been forced to close and cease trading and are seeing their work massively impacted by the coronavirus yet they aren’t eligible for the same support.

“This is just not fair and needs to be addressed.”

Colin Jess, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise NI, called for Stormont ministers to act swiftly: “We have suggested to ministers that, in order to fill these gaps, they consider the example set by their counterparts in Wales and introduce an emergency support scheme to allow those businesses and social enterprises that are not able to benefit from the grant scheme so that they too can get the support they need to deal with their cashflow problems.

“We absolutely understand the enormity of the challenge that our Executive faces. We simply ask that ministers act and ensure that no business or social enterprise who needs help to deal with the impact that COVID-19 is having upon them misses out”.

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