SMALL businesses in Carmarthenshire that employ up to nine people now have the chance to benefit from a Covid-19 hardship rent relief scheme.

The Carmarthenshire County Council scheme, capped at £1,500 per successful business applicant, will help cover rental payments for up to three months.

This scheme replaces the council’s original proposal for a small business hardship relief fund because of Welsh Government and UK Government business funding packages that have since been announced.

Applications are now open for the council scheme, which will cater for Carmarthenshire businesses unable to access financial support through other sources.

The scheme is available for small businesses that:

• Employ one to nine people

• Rent space with a rateable value of £12,000 or less

• Have an annual turnover of below £85,000

• Aren’t VAT registered

• Don’t directly pay business rates

To qualify for the scheme, businesses of this kind will also be experiencing hardship caused by the Covid-19 emergency.

Rent relief will be provided to business applicants most in need.

Cllr David Jenkins, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Resources, said: “Our hardship rent relief scheme is specifically aimed at small businesses in Carmarthenshire that don’t currently have access to financial grant support through existing sources including the Welsh Government and the UK Government.

“We recognise the significant challenges businesses throughout Carmarthenshire are now confronted with, but this scheme further shows how committed the council is to helping in any way we can.

“Financial pressures faced by the council do mean funding for this scheme is limited though, which is why we’ll prioritise assistance for eligible businesses that are most in need.

“This scheme follows on from the council’s phone response service which provides support for Carmarthenshire businesses, along with a dedicated Covid-19 section of the council website for businesses which gives information on available funding, while signposting to further support and guidance.”