As of Wednesday April 22:
• More than 1000 businesses across Dundee have been supported to the tune of £12.1m by the Coronavirus Business Support Fund since its launch earlier this month
• The suspension of recovery activity for council debts has been extended by three weeks
• Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action are working with local emergency food providers in Dundee to ensure communities are provided for during this time of COVID-19.
Over 1000 businesses across Dundee have been supported to the tune of £12.1m by the Coronavirus Business Support Fund since its launch earlier this month.
Grant payments are being made under the Scottish Government scheme offering help to small businesses in receipt of Small Business Bonus Scheme Relief or Rural Relief and hospitality, leisure and retail businesses with properties with a rateable value between £18,001 and £51,000.
John Alexander leader of Dundee City Council said: “This is quite an incredible sum of money to be paid out in something like three weeks.
“Businesses have been granted either £10,000 or £25,000, which does not have to be paid back, and this money can make the difference between a local firm or small enterprise staying afloat or being driven under.
“Firms need this direct support as fast as we can get it to them and we are working as hard as we can to make this happen.”
Meanwhile, the council has extended a suspension period of new recovery activity for unpaid debts across all council accounts.
This was agreed initially until 20th April 2020 and has now been extended for three weeks.
No enforcement action will be taken regarding domestic and non-domestic tenancies due to unpaid rent payments during this period of disruption.
Also, Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action are working with local emergency food providers in Dundee to ensure communities are provided for during this time of COVID-19.
Supported by Faith in Community and Dundee City Council, voluntary organisations throughout the city have amassed a pool of volunteers to help the most vulnerable receive food and medication in response to the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Now having created a strong community response, food banks and larders are calling on the wider Dundee community to donate to support this effort.
Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action Chief Exec Eric Knox said “The emergency food provision across the city is vitally important to supporting the communities in Dundee. This funding will go directly to support volunteers and volunteer sector organisation deliver much needed food the most vulnerable adults and children across the city. This will be a real lifeline for people in unbelievably difficult time.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
