Business Support from East Lindsey District Council
East Lindsey District Council is once again celebrating the companies that make up our wonderful and varied business community with the 2019 East Lindsey Business Awards, but that isn’t the only way in which the Council is helping businesses in the area.
The District Council also runs a number of grant schemes that local businesses can tap into. The Micro Business Grant (MBG) is available to smaller businesses that have up to nine employees, and can be used to fund cost including; training, capital purchases and more. With up to £3,000 available to applicants, the MBG can provide a helping hand for those business looking to take their next steps towards growth.
East Lindsey District Council also offer their Shop Front Grant Scheme, aimed at the District’s independent business who want to enhance the appearance of their shop frontages. Businesses can apply for between £3,000 and £10,000 and can get help with costs such as, the replacement of shop fronts and the restoration of traditional shop front/ features. Finally, the District Council also offer a scheme for manufacturing businesses looking to expand. The Manufacturing Growth Incentive (MGI) is open to manufacturing companies already based in East Lindsey, as well as those looking to invest in the area and offers a refund of an agreed share of business rates on any new manufacturing floor
space.
Details of all of the grant schemes East Lindsey District Council currently offers can be found at: www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/BusinessFunding
Claythorpe Watermill and Wildfowl Garderns in Aby are a great example of how funding from ELDC can help progress your business. Owners, Mike and Rebecca Agate, purchased the mill in 2013 and have received two grants through the Micro Business Grant which has helped deliver the next stage of the growth of the business. Mike and Rebecca first applied for a grant in January 2017 to boost their marketing activity for the coming season; purchasing advertising space in local publications and printing and distributing promotional leaflets.
In 2018 a second application was approved to purchase a pizza oven and cinema equipment. This has allowed Claythorpe to begin offering outdoor cinema and pizza nights
Speaking about the impact the grants have had, Mike Agate (pictured), said: “The micro business grant has given a big boost to local awareness of what we’re looking to achieve, and has kick-started two really exciting new elements of the business. Our movie nights have had an amazing response so far and we’re now planning the next season of screenings. And our pop-up pizza evenings have served authentic, homemade, wood-fired pizzas to hundreds of new visitors this summer. Without the grant help, we would have had to wait to launch these projects, but with the extra grant boost they’ve been viable from year one. That makes a huge difference, both financially and in terms of how quickly we can deliver our new ideas for our visitors – it’s a really exciting time!” It’s not just funding that the District Council can offer though, they also have an array of support for local businesses. The e-Business Brief is a bitesize business briefing delivered straight to you email inbox every month, with all the latest business news and events. Sign up here: www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/ebb
The Rural Lincolnshire Enterprise Hub informal, no-cost collaboration which brings together a growing number of local businesses to learn, network and develop. The District Councils Business Centres in Louth and Mablethorpe, offer affordable, flexible office and meeting space. Louth’s Fairfield Enterprise Centre also hosts a number of helpful business meetings and seminars. For more information head to: www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/businesscentres
So whatever support you’re looking for there’s every chance that East Lindsey District Council can help your business out. If you’d like to talk about the business support on offer, call 01507 613119. Do also remember to enter your business in this year’s Awards, by going to www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/ELBA