BUSINESSES throughout Maldon, Burnham and the Dengie area will be eligible for 12 hours of free advice to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic.

The sessions will come from Back to Business Essex until 30 March, 2021, delivered by the Let's Do Business Group. The scheme will be fully funded by Essex County Council (ECC) and all businesses in the county will be able to take part.

The High Street and hospitality outlets will also be targeted for help, with Maldon District Council (MDC) set to work with ECC to streamline the process for obtaining permission for tables and chairs to be placed on footways and suitable roads. It is hoped this will allow more cafes, restaurants, coffee houses and pubs greater flexibility in how they serve customers in the context of Covid-19.

More detail on how the Government money paid to Essex will be spent

Following on from the introduction of Tier 2 'High' level restrictions across the county on Saturday, 17 October, ECC has also pledged to add £5million of its own funding to the £4.5million for Essex announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

And ECC has announced a new commercial investment fund which will focus on economic growth, with up to £100million investment in commercial opportunities, alongside plans to improve internet access in businesses and homes.

In addition, there will be a fresh autumn campaign to promote local visitor attractions.

At a meeting on Friday (25 October) involving the leaders of all district, borough and city councils across the county, chaired by ECC leader, Councillor David Finch, it was agreed that part of the £4.5million Government funding would be used to provide support to businesses most affected by the Tier 2 restrictions.

"Vulnerable people" as well as businesses will be helped

The meeting also agreed that "the remainder will be used to support vulnerable people, including extra support for foodbanks, mental health and domestic abuse".

Councillor Tony Ball, Essex CCC's Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said: "We are moving ahead with plans to put real support in place for businesses – with the Government's funding and our own investment, we can provide valuable support in the short term to help support the sectors most impacted by High local alert level restrictions."

Further details will be available to businesses in the coming days.