£300,000 is set aside to help Midhurst recover following hotel fire

The money will be used in a variety of ways to help the town get back on its feet and encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses in Midhurst.

£200,000 of the funding will be used to create a business grant scheme, which is currently being developed, and a further £10,000 has been allocated to provide training support.

£50,000 will be allocated to support promotion by business groups in the town, including funding any future parking incentives. In addition to this, £10,900 has already been handed over to the Town Team for promotional and marketing purposes

The remaining funding will be used to deliver a large event in the town later in the year, along with funding towards increased marketing and promotion of the town.

A member of the council's Economic Development team has also been seconded to support businesses in the town for the next two months and the team has set up a business recovery group involving local businesses from the town.

The council's revenue team has also been offering advice to those businesses who pay business rates. The majority of businesses in Midhurst do not pay business rates due to their size and because they receive small business rate relief. However, the council has been in touch with those who do, to make sure that they are aware of all available support to them.

Chichester District Council is also continuing to offer free parking in its Midhurst car parks until the end of 16 April 2023 and is urging residents and visitors to show their support for the town.

All of the agencies involved in the recovery process are committed to doing everything they can to get the road reopened to vehicles as soon as possible and helping Midhurst to recover from this dreadful incident. Regular updates are being issued and these can be found on our latest news column.

Date: 4 April 2023
Reference: 4228