THURROCK Council Leader, Cllr John Kent, has written to the government over the sudden and unexpected demise of the TIGER business support scheme.
He says Thurrock was given no notice of the decision, had no chance to put forward counter arguments and “worst of all has left several Thurrock companies high and dry”.
Cllr Kent said: “Just over a year ago, and to much fanfare, the government launched an innovative and exciting business support scheme known as TIGER – the Thames Gateway Innovation Growth and Enterprise programme.
“Now they have cancelled it at a minute’s notice leaving a number of Thurrock companies high and dry and partly thanks to Kent County Council, our supposed partners in the programme.”
He said: “I can’t pretend the programme was easy to access – it was hugely over-burdened by red tape which slowed progress to a snail’s pace – but it was making progress and it was, I thought, an excellent example of cross-Thames partnership working as the total pot of money was available for businesses in Thurrock and on the south bank of the river as well.
“The TIGER programme was something we supported, a scheme to inject much-needed zero-interest loans to local small- and medium-sized businesses.
“Without the courtesy of talking with their partners – us – Kent County Council went to the government asking for money to support businesses in west Kent and then agreed with the minister Greg Clark that £5½ million should be taken away from TIGER and given to this so-called Escalate programme.
“Kent then went back to the minister to fully reinstate the full TIGER programme and, after hearing nothing, they checked again and were told TIGER was closed as of 14 November.”
Cllr Kent said: “In Thurrock TIGER had already brought in around £½ million for local business and generated more than a hundred jobs and there was over a million pounds waiting to be given the OK.
“The money that has already been allocated – both here and across north Kent – will continue to circulate and support businesses, but that’s simply not good enough.
“I have now written to the minister Greg Clark expressing my displeasure.”
