Lockdown Support Grant for local businesses goes live

Councils are responsible for the local delivery of the Government scheme, which involves processing applications and making payments to businesses. Our online application form will go live on the Council’s website on Monday morning from 9 am.

Each application needs to be carefully assessed and verified to check that applicants are eligible before any payments can be made. Businesses can apply if:

• They were operating as a business that was open as usual and providing an in-person service to customers from the business premises but were required to close by law during the national lockdown period.
• They are liable to pay Business Rates (even if they have not paid rates this financial year due to a relief or exemption).
• Businesses that have closed the main part of their operations but adapted their business model to provide a reduced service (e.g. takeaway or click and collect) can apply for this grant if they are liable for business rates. 

Businesses that primarily provided takeaway or click and collect services (before government restrictions) are not eligible.

The grant payment amount will depend on the rateable value of the property and is set out in the table below. The payment will cover the full four weeks from 5 November to 2 December 2020. Payments will be made as follows:

Cllr Mike Evemy, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We are in unprecedented times with a second national lockdown and this is clearly having a big impact on many local businesses, so this Support Grant scheme could prove a vital lifeline for them.

“We have ensured the online application form is straightforward and jargon-free and we will process applications as speedily as we can. However, we expect the number of applications to be high and we would ask for your patience as we work through them.

Our teams will need to conduct checks to ensure eligibility and prevent fraud and, once those are cleared, send payments to businesses. We can’t at this stage provide a clear timeline for applicants. We hope to be able to provide this after the scheme has been open for a week.  Please check on our website for updates.’

For more information, please visit our Coronavirus Business and Licensing pages on our website.