The council has £3.362m from the government’s Discretionary Business Grant Fund to allocate to local businesses.

This funding is specifically to support small and micro businesses with high fixed property costs which are not eligible for the other Small Business and Retail, Hospitality & Leisure support grant schemes.

Because it is a discretionary scheme, the criteria used to determine which businesses will get a grant is set by the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy and a panel of council officers and local business experts.

Businesses should apply via the council’s My Sandwell online form.

If they meet the eligibility criteria, their application will be assessed by the panel.

Users will need a MySandwell account and be logged in to complete the form.

The fund is cash-limited, so grants will be given out on a ‘first come first served’ basis, we therefore urge businesses to get their applications in as soon as possible.

Sandwell Council has designed a local scheme with specific criteria which will help identify and prioritise which companies will be likely to receive the available funding.

Councillor Wasim Ali, Sandwell Council Deputy Leader, said: “We want to use this fund to help as many Sandwell business as we can and I would urge anyone who thinks they may be eligible for this grant to look on the website as soon as possible.

“We are mindful that the funding is limited, which could mean demand is higher than availability – so do get your applications in early.”

Small businesses are defined as:

• Having a turnover of no more than £10.2m
• Having a balance sheet total of no more than £5.1m
• Employing no more than 50 people

Micro businesses are defined as:

• Having a turnover of no more than £632,000
• Having a balance sheet total of no more than £316,000
• Employing no more than 10 people