BUSINESS leaders have welcomed plans which would see hundreds of small firms across Halstead and Braintree given a helping hand.

A report published by Braintree Council says 360 businesses in the area will receive help courtesy of three separate government schemes.

The concept forms part of an initiative which has seen £300 million set aside by the government for the next four years to help businesses.

The schemes are intended to minimise small businesses’ chances of breaching state aid limits following the recalculation of business rates.

Westminster will hand Braintree Council £287,021 for the period 2017/2018.

That money will then be dished out between 360 businesses in the Braintree and Halstead area.

In total 251 businesses will have the increase in their business rates capped at four per cent thanks to the Discretionary Business Rates Scheme.

They will also receive anywhere between £9.50 and £3,883.94 in relief throughout the next year.

A further 21 businesses would be eligible for the maximum relief of £4,000 thanks to the scheme.

A statement released by the Halstead Chamber of Commerce said: “The chamber and its members are always in favour of actions that will reduce the upfront overheads that our local businesses face. “This is an important step to assist small firms to encourage investment and growth, and we welcome all practical incentives that will assist businesses old and new to grow in their sector.”

Pubs will be one of the main winners from the new initiative, as a total of 71 across the district will receive help via the Public House Relief.

This will see a £1,000 relief handed to businesses who have a licence to sell and then allow for the consumption of alcohol on their premises.

The final scheme, Supporting Small Business Relief, will benefit 17 further businesses who ‘will struggle to pay bills’ due to an increase in rates.

Those excluded from the schemes are organisations who already receive mandatory relief and businesses whose rates have not increased by four per cent or more.

Graham Butland, Braintree Council leader, said: “Small local businesses in our district hardest hit by the revaluation of business rates earlier this year will receive revised business rates from mid-October backdated to April 1.

“There are three new reliefs two of which central government set the criteria for but the third we had more say and we’ve decided to focus it on local small independent businesses.

“We have called a special meeting of cabinet to get the approach agreed as soon as possible.”