North West Leicestershire District Council has now distributed £20 million in Government grants to eligible businesses within the area.

The council says it has been working hard to distribute funding to eligible businesses since each of the grant schemes were announced, supporting businesses through the lockdown period.

As of this week, £20 million has reached 1,829 businesses in order to financially support them through the coronavirus pandemic.

In total, £12.7m has been distributed to 1,269 businesses as part of the Small Business Grant Fund

£6.4m in Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grants have been awarded to 364 businesses, £948,000 has been distributed to 196 businesses as part of the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF).

Councillor Richard Blunt, Leader of North West Leicestershire District Council, said: "Supporting our local businesses and helping them back onto their feet is critical to reviving our local economy as we recover from this pandemic.

"Our teams have worked tirelessly to ensure eligible businesses get this vital financial support as quickly as possible.

"Surpassing the £20m mark is a testament to these efforts and this figure is only growing as we continue to issue payments on a daily basis.

"We've stood with our businesses through this pandemic and we will continue to do so. These are still very challenging times and it's important the public also get behind our local businesses by supporting them safely in the coming weeks and months."

Businesses still looking for information on funding and the eligibility criteria can visit North West Leics Business Support.