Businesses could get up to £5,000 to help with energy bills thanks to Mayor’s new fund

08 December 2022

A new £1 million fund to help businesses struggling with energy bills has been launched today by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin.

This will offer up to £5,000 to help individual businesses with practical solutions to reduce costs, including help to buy a more efficient boiler or install low-energy lighting.

The scheme is part of a multimillion-pound package of measures from the West Yorkshire Mayor to help people and businesses with the escalating cost of living crisis.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

"We are stepping in to support our local communities and businesses at a time of national crisis, helping to keep people warm and fed this winter.

“Our business support scheme will provide urgent help to bring down bills this winter and make firms more resilient to future energy price hikes.

“This will help to protect jobs and livelihoods now, whilst also improving energy efficiency across our region which is a vital part of achieving our net zero carbon ambitions."

Amanda Beresford, chair of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Businesses large and small are struggling to cope with unprecedented rises in the cost of powering their operations.

“Everyone is crying out for support so that they can weather the present storm and get back to doing what they do best in creating jobs and innovating new products and services.

“The grant scheme will hopefully help achieve just that.”

To further help businesses, an advisory scheme to help small and medium sized firms to reduce their bills by being more energy efficient and sustainable will be extended later this year, with a further £10.6 million investment.

In addition to supporting businesses, the Mayor has also launched her Cost of Living Emergency Fund which will provide £3 million over the next 18 months to help the most vulnerable by addressing issues like food insecurity, fuel poverty and mental health.

The support will be delivered in partnership with local authorities through charities and voluntary organisations that are providing important services on the frontline, such as food banks, warm places and debt advice.

To help people in rented social housing, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is doubling its investment in a retrofit project to improve energy efficiency targeting 1,700 additional households, on top of the 1,300 already benefitting. This will help those in social housing to reduce bills and help manage strained budgets.

Businesses can apply for support at www.weareumi.co.uk/energygrants.

For more information about other forms of cost of living support visit www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/helping-west-yorkshire/.