Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will receive one-off grant worth up to £9,000, Rishi Sunak announces

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a grant worth up to £9,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses hit by the new lockdown. “This will help businesses to get through the months ahead – and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen.” The move represents the first government response to appeals for help to ensure firms’ survival through the new lockdown, and was welcomed by the Institute of Directors, which said it would “go some way to reassuring the worst-affected businesses”. The government has also provided grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen, as well as 100 per cent business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, £1.1 billion in discretionary funding through local authorities and 100 per cent government-backed loans. Speaking ahead of the announcement of Mr Sunak’s package, CBI director general Tony Danker said it was “imperative” that the government ensure companies have the necessary cashflow to survive through the new lockdown.