First wave of support provides cash for 19 businesses
Businesses in Tonbridge and Malling which tackle climate change and reduce their carbon emissions have been awarded grants to support their work.
The first wave of funding under Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s green business grant scheme has allocated nearly £77,000 to 19 firms.
The grants of between two and eight thousand pounds will help businesses which either work in the green economy or which are seeking to minimise their environmental impact. Recipients of grants include:
- Zilch Zero Waste – a Tonbridge store committed to cutting the use of plastic packaging
- Capital Space – a Kings Hill business seeking to cut its energy consumption through the use of light sensors and increased tree planting
- Inspire Me Equestrian – an Ightham riding stables aiming to reduce water waste and the energy used for floodlighting
- Bravo Productions – a Tonbridge events company with plans to switch to paperless ticketing and biodegradable food and drink packaging
- Retro Electric – a Borough Green engineering firm converting classic cars from petrol to electric power
The scheme is being managed by the council’s economic regeneration team which is already planning a second round of grant awards in 2022. Once completed, a total of £150,000 will have been distributed to eligible companies. Funding for the grants comes from central government via a business rates retention initiative.
Cllr Vivian Branson, the council’s cabinet lead on economic regeneration, said: ‘The diverse range of applications we received shows that businesses in our borough want to do their bit to help tackle climate change. However, for many of them finding the money to make changes or new investment can be a real challenge so I’m delighted we’ve been able to support them in their ambitions.’