A local council is offering grants of up to £10,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for energy efficiency projects.

Applications for the £100k grant pot from Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC), in partnership with Vision 21, will be open from next Wednesday (October 25).

Cheltenham received the full funding of £100k from the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Applications are open to businesses with a registered premise in Cheltenham, fewer than 500 employees and a turnover below £43 million. Grants will be awarded for capital projects delivering energy efficiency improvements. Full details can be found on the council website.

Cllr Alisha Lewis, cabinet member for climate change at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "In the next stretch of our crucial decarbonisation efforts, we are delighted to offer a share of the £100k funding pot to Cheltenham-based businesses.

"The CheltenhamZero Business Fund demonstrates the council's commitment to reducing barriers for businesses, offering local expertise, support and funding to empower businesses to take action to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency."

To apply to the CheltenhamZero Business Fund, businesses need to join CheltenhhamZero for free and activate the free Zellar account. Help is then available to measure business emissions in simple steps and create a sustainability plan.

Becki Sillence, CheltenhamZero communications manager from Vision21, said: "We currently have around 140 CheltenhamZero member organisations from a wide range of sectors, who have all committed to reducing their emissions. We are excited to be teaming up with some fantastic local experts to make sure there is support available for local business every step of the way."

A free launch webinar will also be available on Wednesday October 25 from 10am to 11.30am for SMEs, which will give more information about the fund and expert advice from Severn Wye about planning a project.

Vision21 is also offering a comprehensive package of pre-application support including a sustainability planning workshop on November 16 and advice from local sustainability consultants on November 10.

Local experts on hand to help include Vision21, Ridge & Partners LLP, Tivoli Consulting, Severn Wye Energy Agency, Glow Innovation, Green Spark Marketing, Original Education, Zellar, AndrewLansley.org, The Liminality and Hillarie Owen.

The closing date for applications is Sunday January 28, 2024.