The $17,975 in funding comes from round two of council’s 2017/18 business partner program.

Council elected a selection committee at the March council meeting at the Curlewis Community Hall and announced the successful applicants at an extraordinary council meeting on Wednesday night. 

Successful business partner program applicants:

Chair of the selection committee, councillor Murray O’Keefe told The Namoi Valley Independent the quality of applicants was very impressive.

‘We are massively pleased with the amount of applicants and the quality of the applications,” Cr O’Keefe.

“In the last two rounds of funding we have seen a great level of funding and I think that comes from council’s hard work in reinvigorating the program and enticing more businesses to get involved.

“We have certainly seen an increase in applicants over the course of the program and I think a real rise in the professionalism of those applications as well.”

Read More:

Cr O’Keefe said council would be opening up applications for another round of funding from the program very soon.

“I think it is very exciting to see the quality of the applications and amount of businesses applying increase,” he said.

“That’s why we have more-or-less already opened the next round of applications for funding from the businesses partner program, to give those businesses that were not successful this time around another chance to be involved and for those who needed a little bit of assistance with their application the chance to better prepare.

“What I think is particularly exciting is the amount of start-up businesses taking part in the program and that is what the program is there for, to help new and existing businesses prosper and in-turn lead to more jobs and growth for the whole shire.”

Gunnedah Shire Council will hold a ceremony celebrating the successful applicants in the coming weeks.