Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100m discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses.

Government will also cover the cost of statutory sick pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK.

A further £30m of funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter.

As hospitality is hit by a sharp decline in business with a decline of up to 60% in December trade, the government has been forced to step in with financial support.