A MONMOUTH-based business will get what a councillor has said is unprecedented help from Monmouthshire council and the Welsh Government.

Corrugated packing company Tri-Wall Europe, based on Wonastow Road, applied for hardship relief as it looked to get back on track after recent losses.

Hong Kong-based Tri-Wall took over the DS Smith plant in January 2013. Of its 130 employees, 70 per cent live in Monmouthshire.

It has been granted £75,000 rates relief. The Welsh Government will provide £56,250 and Monmouthshire council £18,750. That money will be taken from the authority’s Priority Investment Reserve.

At a Monmouthshire council cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the authority’s deputy leader Cllr Bob Greenland said as far as he was concerned the application was the first of its kind to be successful and get backing in the county.

Tri-Wall has put a strategy in place this year to help sales, marketing and in reducing its costs.

Company board member Kyle Baker said: “Obviously we are pleased about the decision. We are pleased because it will help us in the current year to have a better result.”

Although he acknowledged over the past 18 to 24 months the company had overcome “difficulties”, he said he was “confident the rest of the year will be positive”.

A council report stated: “The company had incurred significant losses in the earlier part of the financial year. However, since the parent company have taken a more active role in supporting the company through its transition...trading performance has significantly improved.

“With the council’s help they hope to be able to turn the business around and re-establish itself as a prolific player in the European Heavy Duty Packaging market.”

Cllr Greenland said of the firm’s use of the relief scheme: “They must have picked up this information; it’s public information that there is such a scheme and they approached us about it. "They and any other businesses are able to do that but it is extremely rare where we would support an application like this.”