Get back to growth in 2022 with a £5k grant

Grants of between £2,000 to £5,000 are now available to small businesses across Staffordshire to grow and thrive. Improving your business is a year-round job, but new year is the perfect time to get the financial boost you need to start the year strong.  Want to invest in increasing sales, productivity or profitability, or improve business processes but feel the risk is too high? Did you put your business-growth plans on hold during the pandemic, but need financial help to finally realise your potential? If you’re an eligible small business, now’s the time to stop crossing your fingers and get a grant of up to £5,000 from the Staffordshire Means Back to Business Scheme to help you to regroup and grow. Funding is on a first come first served basis, and has now been made available to businesses across the county following Staffordshire County Council's successful bid to secure over £751,000 for the Staffordshire Means Back to Business Scheme from the government's UK Community Renewal Fund. Grants of up to £5,000 have already helped small businesses across all sectors with a range of growth activities, including: Finding expert knowledge and support to help develop business ideas and success, including financial strategy, business strategy, marketing strategy and website expertise, and even expertise to enhance customer service Support to analyse customer data Tackling those back-burner projects and tasks Purchase of equipment and technology for new starters Purchase of specialist equipment – from video equipment to specialist fabrication tools and beyond. Support to prioritise business planning Diversification into new market sectors and taking advantage of new opportunities Developing online payment facilities and getting online and much more. Start 2022 right and apply now for a growth grant of between £2,000 and £5,000.

If your home or business flooded in February 2020 you may be entitled to a grant to help prevent your property from being flooded again.

After an extension to the national scheme, Lichfield District Council is inviting owners of homes or businesses that flooded in storms Ciara or Dennis in February 2020 to apply for a property flood resilience grant of up to £5,000.

Councillor Rob Strachan, Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Revenues & Benefits, said: “We know how heart-breaking it is to have your home or businesses flooded, and we want to help make sure local properties are able to withstand possible future flooding events.

“This is why we’re inviting anyone who owns a property in the district that flooded in February 2020 to apply for funding to install measures to help make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

To be eligible for a grant, an independent surveyor will need to assess the property to advise on the best way to make a property more resilient to future flooding, such as putting in flood doors and raising electrics from ground level.

The funding can only be spent on flooding mitigation measures and cannot be used for repairs.

To find out more and how to apply for a property flood resilience grant, go to www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/floodrelief.

Bin calendars for Lichfield District homes are now available to download at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bincalendar

Councillor Ashley Yeates, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Recycling, said: 

“It will be much simpler to keep the calendars up to date online, and there is substantial environmental benefit from not printing and distributing calendars to around 80,000 households.

“We are working hard on our plans for how to introduce the blue reusable bags for paper and card recycling, which will include a multi-channel communications campaign to ensure households are fully informed about how the system will work and what it will mean to them.”

The new bin calendars are available online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bincalendar

Residents who do not have access to the internet are being encouraged to use the online services from their nearest library or to seek help from their family, friends, or neighbours. They can also call the shared waste service on 0345 002 0022 for help.

Don't forget therre is a Post Office at the Village Hall every Tuesday morning 10-12.

Send your parcels, do your banking and much more!

Green-fingered folk across Lichfield District are being encouraged to subscribe again for the garden waste service.

Online registration at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/mygardenbin is now open for the garden waste service, and Lichfield District Council is urging local residents to sign up again to have their brown bins emptied in 2022.

The council has held 2021’s price and it will cost £36 per brown bin for fortnightly collections in 2022. Next year’s garden waste service will run from 31 January to 16 December and customers will receive a maximum of 23 collections.

Councillor Ashley Yeates, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Recycling, said: “Thank you to everyone who signed up to our garden waste service in the last year.

“We’re now reminding all our residents that they will need to sign up again if they want their brown bins emptied in 2022.

“It costs the same regardless of when you register during the year, and your annual subscription will always end in December. This is why it makes sense to register before the first collection in 2022, so you can get a full year’s worth of collections.”

Sign up for the garden waste service at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/mygardenbin or call the Lichfield and Tamworth Shared Waste Service on 0345 002 0022.

“It is important to remember that your brown bin will not be emptied in 2022 unless you are signed up and have displayed your new sticker on your garden waste bin.

“We are also encouraging anyone who signs up not to cover up their 2021 sticker with their new one, so our crews know to continue to empty your garden waste bin for the rest of this year,” added Cllr Yeates.

The Polce have sent a useful guide for keeping children safe online 

Click here Advice

There is still funding available in Lichfield District Council's latest Additional Restrictions Grant round, focusing on the leisure, events sector (inclusive of hospitality) and their supply chain:

If you are:
- A Lichfield District micro or small business within the leisure, events sector (inclusive of hospitality) and their direct supply chain.
- Haven't received support from the Local Restrictions Support Grant, previous Additional Restrictions Grant rounds and the Restart Scheme.
- Seen a reduction in your net profits of at least 25%.

You may be interested in applying.

For the full eligibility criteria and the application form, visit: https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/coronavirus-2/support-businesses-coronavirus-covid-19/7  

It is a limited funding pot which is first come, first serve. If applications outweigh the amount available, the application process shall be closed.

The rearranged Parish Council meeting took place on 26^th July at the Village Hall.

New plans had been submitted for the former Social Club site to address the concerns of the Planners and Conservation Officer, and the developers had been asked to provide evidence of how an alternative community facility could be provided to replace the closed club. A meeting had been held at the Cricket Pavilion to prepare a plan of work required for its use by the wider community.

Maintenance and electrical safety work had taken place at the Playground and new picnic benches had been delivered. It was agreed to begin enquiries about replacing the surfacing and the equipment in the longer term.

A resident had contacted the Parish Council regarding overgrown and impassable parts of the Rights of Way, these would be reported to the County Council Rights of Way team.

The Councillors agreed to discuss ideas for the long term needs of the village at the next meeting. Any residents wishing to suggest ideas please contact any Councillor.

There had been recent incidents of car theft and vandalism. Concerns would be raised with the PCSO and crime prevention advice would be shared with residents. Cllr Turley offered to investigate CCTV and report back to the September 13^th meeting.

For further information please see the Minutes.