BUSINESS rate relief funding has helped to secure 357 manufacturing jobs in Kirklees, it is claimed.

Kirklees Council launched the scheme last September as part of its Real Help Now programme to support local firms through the recession.

The first round of funding helped safeguard 87 jobs by enabling firms to hang onto cash for longer. Now the second round of funding has supported a further 270 posts. The rate relief project is targeted at the manufacturing sector, which employs about a fifth of the district’s workforce.

Applications for rate relief have closed, but there are other opportunities for businesses to apply for money off their bill. Go to www.kirklees.gov.uk/ business rates