New businesses could receive grants of up to £10,000 to help bring vacant shops in Ashford town centre back to life.

The funding has been announced by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) as part of its efforts to revitalise the town centre as the economy seeks to bounce back from the impact of the pandemic.

Cash would be made available for firms to cover 75% of the costs of bringing an empty unit back into use, and existing businesses can also seek a smaller grant of up to £3,000 to carry out improvements on their shop.

In July the vacancy rate for business premises in Ashford town centre stood at 15.9%, higher than the nationwide average of 11.8%.

Cllr Nathan Iliffe (Con), ABC portfolio holder for regeneration and corporate property, said: “During the pandemic the council helped thousands of businesses stay afloat during a turbulent period for the business community.

“Now this additional support grant will focus on those town centre businesses who need further support and we hope Ashford town centre recovers after the Covid-19 pandemic and achieves its full potential moving forward.”

This grants programme is being funded from the council’s remaining share of the government’s Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG), provided during the Covid crisis, and therefore cash is limited.

ABC says it has “taken a proactive approach to supporting local businesses” with the ARG grants, already giving financial support to more than 400 businesses locally.

Ashford MP Damian Green welcomed the latest offer of support for local entrepreneurs.

He said: “The key to any town centre is footfall. Some shops will be small and quirky, but that increases footfall which means mainstream shops do better.

“In the long term we need to look at business rates. You rebalance taxation so digital businesses pay more to take the pressure off traditional retailers.”

Applications for the Empty Premises Grant and Shop Improvement Grant need to be made before December 5, and businesses can check if they are eligible and find out how to apply by clicking here.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford