The authority was given around £134 million from Government to distribute to businesses from the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, which have been adversely affected by the impact of Covid-19.

Cllr Gary Suttle, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Skills, said, “To have paid out over £100 million to thousands of businesses in the Dorset Council area in such a short space of time is a real achievement. We drafted in colleagues from across the organisation to help when we realised what a huge task this was, handed to us from Government. The team has worked tirelessly to get these much-needed cash injections to businesses, and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to them.

“We still have £28 million to distribute to Dorset businesses that meet the criteria, and we would appeal to business owners who have not yet applied for a grant through this funding to please do so at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/business-grants.

For businesses that were not eligible for this first round of funding, there are more grants available, through the council’s Discretionary Fund. However, there is only a short time left to apply as the deadline is midnight on Sunday 14 June. So far, the council has received around 1,700 applications for this funding.

The Discretionary Fund is specifically aimed at businesses who have not yet received any previous COVID related Government financial support. Businesses can check their eligibility and apply at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/discretionary-fund.