24 November 2009
NWDA visits businesses affected by Cumbria floods
Ian Haythornthwaite, Executive Director of Resources for the
Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), today visited
businesses hit by the recent floods in Cumbria.
The visit, organised by the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce &
Industry, included a visit to James Walker Ltd in Cockermouth,
followed by a visit to Jennings Brewery and then on to a local
small business.
The group then travelled to the Port of Workington to see the
damage that the Port is encountering due to debris from the
floods.
The visit today builds on the £1m package of support announced
by the NWDA yesterday (23rd November) for small businesses affected
by the recent flooding.
In addition to the existing business support available to
businesses in Cumbria via Business Link Northwest, the new £1m
funding will primarily be distributed to small businesses to help
ease cash-flow issues and get business up and running as soon as
possible.
The majority of funding will be available as Flood Recovery
Grants (accessed via Business Link Northwest) to help affected
businesses meet the costs of:
• Expert advice in dealing with the clean up and recovery
stages
• Cash flow - interest for finance taken out as a result of
the flooding
• Some staff retraining costs
In addition, up to £50,000 of the NWDA support funding has been
allocated to the Cumbria Community Fund to assist with their
efforts in specific local areas to help community based
flood-support initiatives.
Ian Haythornthwaite, Executive Director of Resources for
the NWDA, said “The NWDA is committed to working in partnership
with the new Cumbria Business Recovery Team and other partners in
Cumbria to assess the economic implications of the flood and to
develop a recovery plan as required. My visit to some of the worst
affected areas today has given us an idea of the scale of the
problems some business are dealing with and where the NWDA can best
channel its funding support.”
Businesses affected by the recent flooding in Cumbria should
contact Business Link Northwest on 0845 00 66 888.