More than 1,200 self-employed and SMEs in Benidorm apply for aid

MORE than 1,200 self-employed and small businesses in Benidorm have applied for municipal aid to alleviate the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The town council said in a statement it has begun to pay out the first requests for grants of between €500 and €1,000.
Councillor for Employment and Local Development, Monica Gomez, said: “The first three consignments of applications have already been assessed by the technical committee, and this week the aid granted in the first of these, which amounted to €41,500, has begun to be paid.”
He said the second round of payments will be made soon, and the third will be approved this week.
Gomez added: “The council wants to contribute to the recovery and maintenance of local trade and revitalisation of the productive fabric of Benidorm, minimising as far as possible the economic impact that the health crisis has caused.”
The amount of aid ranges granted depends on the “impact the State of Alarm decree caused on the activity.
“To date a very high percentage of requests evaluated have been resolved favourably,” said Gomez, adding that “many of the applications have been rejected because the activity has the fiscal address outside Benidorm, thus failing to meet one of the requirements.”
He explained that the municipal aid is in addition to € 1.4 million allocated for families in need.
On Sunday, August 23, hundreds of British and Spanish traders, shopkeepers, disco, bar, restaurant and cafe owners, along with residents, hit the streets of Benidorm to take part in a peaceful demonstration in protest against stricter restrictions enforced by the Spanish Government.