The first round of discretionary grant funding opened in June and has now closed. However, some Local Authorities have announced a second round of funding, so please keep an eye on your Local Authority website for details of how and when to apply.
On Saturday 2nd May the Government announced that the local business grant funds scheme would receive a 5% top-up aimed at small businesses in England with ongoing fixed property-related costs. There were three levels of grant payments, with grants of £25,000, £10,000 and any amount under £10,000. However, some councils only provided grants of £10,000 or less in order to meet demand.
Businesses eligible for current grant schemes, (not including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self Employment Income Support Scheme) are not eligible for this scheme.
To be eligible your business:
- was trading on 11 March 2020
- is based in England
- has fewer than 50 employees
- has fixed building costs such as rent
- has been adversely impacted by coronavirus
The allocation of this funding will be at the discretion of Local Authorities. Local Authorities have been asked to prioritise:
- small businesses in shared spaces or other flexible workspaces
- regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment
- charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief
- bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates.
Local Authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.
