Councillor Gail Macgregor COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson said: “COSLA welcomed the £100m, announced last week, to be made available to protect self-employed people and viable micro and SME businesses in distress due to COVID-19.

“Specifically on today’s announcement, COSLA is pleased to say that yet again during this pandemic Councils have stepped up to the mark in a very short space of time and are well placed to deliver this much needed support to newly self-employed people who are facing financial hardship and are unable to access other grant funding - a key strand of this package of funding.

“COSLA has worked closely with Councils and the Scottish Government to ensure the funding is easy to access and we are confident we have the best solution in place to get this money to where it’s needed quickly and effectively.”