The aid granted to companies and freelancers in Benidorm now exceeds half a million euros

The aid granted by Benidorm City Council to companies, businesses, SMEs and freelancers in the face of the effects of the Covid-19 already exceed half a million euros, according to the figures released today by the Councilor for Employment and Local Promotion, Mónica Gómez. Specifically, there are already 13 remittances approved by the Local Government Board and more than 750 files resolved by the Technical Commission that is in charge of evaluating the submitted applications.

Gómez has indicated that the last two remittances amount to 70,750 euros and are added to the 453,000 euros injected into the local productive fabric in previous resolutions, which have already been paid in full to the beneficiary companies and professionals. Remittance number 12 has already been paid, while number 13, approved yesterday by the Local Government Board (JGL), will be paid "next week."

The mayor has detailed that the amount of aid ranges between 500 and 1,000 euros depending on the condition that the decree of state of alarm caused on the activity. Thus, the aid amounts to 1,000 euros for those who were affected by the closure of establishments; to 750 euros for those who saw their turnover reduced by at least 40% between March 14 and April 19 with respect to the average of the previous six months or the period of high activity; and 500 euros for applicants who have been beneficiaries of municipal aid to families.

Likewise, Gómez recalled that "the City Council is financing this aid with its own resources from the 2020 budget", and has stressed that "as already advanced weeks ago, the councillor of the Treasury, Aida García Mayor, the municipal accounts for 2021 will contemplate, at least, the same investment that has been made this year to meet the needs derived from the pandemic ”.

Grants for commerce and the taxi sector

In addition to this line of aid to companies and freelancers, the City Council recently launched some aimed specifically at local businesses to minimize the impact of Covid-19. Aids that are financed through a subsidy of 196,960 euros granted by the Provincial Council of Alicante and that have reached around 200 commercial establishments. In addition, the deadline is open to request municipal aid to alleviate the effects of Covid-19 in the taxi sector, to which the City Council allocates 120,000 euros and to which freelancers who ceased their activity or reduced their billing by above 40%. The aid will be 350 euros per beneficiary and the application is processed electronically through the Website (https://sede.benidorm.org/).

In addition, they are already working on the bases of direct aid to establishments that had to close due to the declaration of the state of alarm or other subsequent regulations, which will amount to “25% of the amount paid by the establishment on the receipt of the garbage of this year".