APPLICATIONS for the government's new Omicron Hospitality and Leisure grant are now open and Thurrock Council is ready to deal with applications for cash aid.

The grant is available to eligible hospitality and leisure businesses in Thurrock trading as at 30 December 2021 where more than 50 per cent of trade is made up from in person services such as restaurants and entertainment venues.

Each eligible business will receive a one-off payment of:

• £2,667 if the rateable value is £15,000 or under

• £4,000 if the rateable value is more than £15,000 and less than £51,000

• £6,000 if the rateable value is more than £51,000

Cabinet member for finance Cllr Shane Hebb said: "Thurrock Council has distributed more than £100 million of government grants and reliefs to businesses since the start of the pandemic to help them cope with the pressures they have faced. I urge local businesses that now find themselves impacted by the emergence of the Omicron variant to take advantage of this new grant.

"The council is here to help and we want to make sure that Thurrock businesses get the support they need to strengthen our recovery. If your business is eligible, go online today and apply for this funding through the council's website."

Applications close on Monday, 28 February 2022 and those that are eligible must be registered for business rates at the property in question.

Further support for Thurrock businesses who are not eligible for this particular grant will be announced in the coming week.