As part of its national restriction measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Government has announced grant funding to be paid out by councils to businesses that have, as a result, been told to close.
These will be paid as one-off grants to cover a 28-day period from 5 November to 2 December 2020.
West Suffolk Council has been given an allocation of £2.9million and the eligibility criteria for these grants have been set by Government.
Businesses that have set up a click and collect service and restaurants providing a takeaway service will still be able to claim grants as their substantive business has had to close.
To qualify for this grant, your business must be in the West Suffolk area and have been:
trading as usual prior to the date the restrictions came into force on 5 November 2020
liable for paying business rates as at 5 November 2020
required to close due to Government lockdown restrictions
Businesses that have been mandated to close by Government include:
- non-essential retail
- leisure
- personal care
- sports facilities, and
- hospitality businesses.
The funding is only available for businesses that were required to close because of the formal publication of lockdown regulations under Public Health legislation, the funding is not available to businesses who have elected to close for other reasons.
The value of the grant varies depending on the business premises’ rateable value:
| Rateable value of property | Grant for 28 days |
|---|---|
| £15,000 or under | £1,334 |
| £15,001 to £50,999 | £2,000 |
| £51,000 or over | £3,000 |
Businesses required to remain closed since March 2020
Some businesses, such as nightclubs and adult entertainment venues, have been required by Government to remain closed since March 2020. In addition to receiving support under the Local Restrictions Support Grant outlined above, these businesses will also receive a small amount of funding for the period 1 to 4 November 2020. This is because on 1 November 2020, the Government introduced a separate grant funding scheme for this sector.
Ratepayers for these businesses in West Suffolk should apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant as usual, using the form below, but should select the option on the form that confirms that they have been required to remain closed since March 2020. The council will then contact them to arrange for the additional funding to be granted.
Nightclubs that reopened in a different form (for example as late night bars) are not eligible for this funding.
How to apply
Eligible ratepayers can apply for business support grants using an online application form:
https://westsuffolk-self.achieveservice.com/service/COVID_19_Business_support_grant_declaration
Please read the eligibility criteria before completing the application form.
Please do not submit this form if you do not have your West Suffolk Business Rates Account Reference Number as your submission will not be accepted.
Your business will not qualify for support under this scheme if it was in administration, insolvent, or a striking off order was made at the time the local restrictions started.
If you have any problems completing the form please email covid19.businessgrants@westsuffolk.gov.uk or phone 01284 776333.
Any business in the West Suffolk area concerned about their specific circumstances or confused about where they can go for support can email economic.development@westsuffolk.gov.uk or phone 01284 757114.
Additional Restrictions Grant
The Government has also allocated West Suffolk Council £3.6m to pay out under what it calls its Additional Restrictions Grant.
So far, the Government has said that it should be focused on:
- businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors
- businesses in the events sector
- businesses outside the business rates system, which are effectively forced to close – for example market traders
- additional support to larger local businesses which are important to the local economy, on top of the funding provided to those businesses via the LRSG (closed) scheme
It says local authorities may want to take into account:
- the level of fixed costs faced by the business in question
- the number of employees
- whether they are unable to trade online, and
- the consequent scale of coronavirus losses.
The details of this scheme are still being developed by the Government and we will update this webpage when we have more clarity.