We have so far received the information we need to process government grants from around half of all eligible businesses in the borough.
These are being verified as quickly as possible, with payment runs made daily to ensure money is transferred to bank accounts as soon as the process is complete.
We apologise to businesses that we are not as far ahead with the scheme as we would have liked.
Our system went live slightly later than other authorities in Cumbria. This is because we had a number of staff who were either unwell, self-isolating at home for 14 days in line with government and Public Health England regulations, or at home with young children following the closure of schools.
With team members now returning to work, we hope to be able to accelerate the processing of grants in the coming days.
A series of measures are in place to ensure this happens, including the redeployment of staff from other roles to the processing team.
We would still like more eligible businesses to get in touch with their information. We will be contacting those eligible - by telephone where possible - to ensure they receive their grants at the earliest opportunity.
Businesses can send their information on downloadable data collection forms available online at Barrowbc.gov.uk via the Covid-19 Info page.
Alternatively, forms can also be printed out, completed, and posted to: Business Support Grant, Barrow Borough Council, Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 2LD.