Cotswold District Council has administered a new scheme to support local businesses affected by the second national lockdown.

The Additional Restrictions Grant is the second business support scheme to be launched, following an earlier mandatory grant at the start of November.

This new discretionary scheme - which is funded by the government but administered by Cotswold District Council - is aimed at smaller businesses that might not have qualified for the initial grant.

An online form on the council’s website will guide applicants through a series of questions that will help assess if they qualify for the Additional Restrictions Grant.

Applications will then be verified against Government criteria and if successful, payments will be made.

Welcoming the launch of the scheme, Cllr Tony Dale, cabinet member for economy and skills at Cotswold District Council, said: “This Additional Restrictions Grant is aimed at smaller businesses that might not have qualified for the mandatory scheme.

"It is equally important that we give them the financial support they need to help them through this unprecedented difficulty.

“We launched the mandatory scheme and that has been very successful in getting money straight to eligible businesses.

"Once again we are keeping the application process as simple as we can so that we can verify applications swiftly and make payments as soon as possible.”