The grant applications for those businesses that had to close on November 5 are now live on many local authority websites. Don't let the technical name confuse you, but if that was you and you have a business rates reference, then the one you're looking for is called the LRSG (Closed) Addendum.
We have links to the applications below and the ARG and LRG (Open) grants and eligibility for businesses that don't pay business rates.
These schemes detailed below, all delivered through local authorities, are to support local businesses during the 5 November to 2 December 2020 national lockdown and during periods of local restrictions.
The guidance below sets out the eligibility criteria, operation and delivery details for each strand of the schemes provided by central government to local authorities
GRANT APPLICATIONS AND LOCAL RULES:-
Wyre
Preston City
Fylde
Lancaster
Ribble Valley
Blackburn with Darwen
Find your local authority here
Support for businesses during the national restriction period, 5 November to 2 December 2020
The national restrictions from 5 November to 2 December 2020 require businesses to close in order to manage the spread of coronavirus and save lives. Businesses in other sectors that aren’t required to close will also be affected by the restrictions.
Two of the funds, the LRSG (Closed) Addendum and the Additional Restrictions Grant, are available to support businesses throughout this period of national restrictions.
FOR BUSINESSES CLOSED FROM NOVEMBER 5TH
For businesses that were forced to close due to national or local restrictions a grant is available that means they can receive up to £3,000 per four weeks.
APPLY FOR THE LRSG CLOSED (ADDENDUM)
Businesses that are eligible are those that have been mandated to close by Government and include non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses.
ELIGIBILITY
THE OFFICIAL LIST OF BUSINESSES FORCED TO CLOSE FROM NOVEMBER 5
ALL BUSINESSES MUST HAVE A RATEABLE VALUE TO BE ELIGIBLE
GRANT LEVEL AND FREQUENCY
Eligible applicants from November 5 will receive support for every four weeks your business is closed.
Previous applicants who were closed from mid-October, now move to a 28 day payment cycle for the period of national lockdown from November 5 -December 2nd in England.
Rateable value and support per 2 weeks per 4 weeks
£15,000 or under £ 667 £1334
£15,001-£50,999 £1000 £2000
£51,000 or over £1500 £3000
You can find the rateable value of your premises on your latest business rates bill
ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS GRANT - DISCRETIONARY
The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) provides additional funding for local authorities, in Local COVID Alert Level Very High areas, to support businesses that have had their trade affected by the restrictions.
A.R.G.
Nationally 1.1bn has been given to Local Authorities, and will be distributed on the basis of £20 per head of population, via one-off discretionary payments.
Local Authorities can determine how much funding to provide to businesses from the ARG funding provided, and exactly which businesses to target.
The guidance issued to L.A.'s is that in taking decisions on the appropriate level of grant, 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.
This is one-off funding and intended to support businesses more broadly, as a key part of local economies, who would not otherwise be eligible and whether they were rateable businesses or not.
For example
closed businesses that do not have a rateable value
closed business that have costs that are significantly higher
businesses that are severely impacted rather than closed.
Government expects the funding to be targeted at hospitality, hotel, bed & breakfast and leisure businesses.
However, Local Authorities have the freedom to determine the precise eligibility criteria for these grants. This could include – for example – businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, or businesses in the events sector.
Local Authorities may also choose to help businesses outside the business rates system, which are effectively forced to close – for example market traders.
REALITY CHECK
The amount available to each local council, and therefore to thousands of potential applicants is relatively small. It can be appreciably under £500,000 per authority, in some cases.
Additionally for any home based businesses previous discretionary funding has been allocated to those with fixed property costs and home based business have been deemed ineligible by some local authorities but others are allowing home based business to apply.
Local authorities must agree and publish their own policy and there may be a substantial delay and a very diluted final outcome for applicants.
LRSG (OPEN) :- FOR BUSINESS IMPACTED BY LOCAL RESTRICTIONS FROM AUGUST 1 TO NOVEMBER 4
Where local authorities were subject to Local COVID Alert Level High and / or Local COVID Alert Level Very High restrictions, this grant allows local authorities to make discretionary payments to support businesses that were impacted by the restrictions, but not required to close.
BACK DATED GRANTS FROM AUGUST 1
This funding allows each Local Authority to run a discretionary grant scheme to support those businesses previously impacted by the Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions, for any period from August 1 - November 4.
The period November 5 - Dec 2 does not apply.
Businesses in areas under local restrictions measures are able to apply for a local authority grant, retrospectively backdated to August 1 to include retrospective payments to the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors.
These local restrictions can include the period from September 22, when in the hospitality sector, table service and early closing at 10:00p.m. began, but before the introduction of the Medium, High and Very High tiered system from mid-October.
Tier 2 local restrictions only kicked in in most of the rest of Lancashire on 14th of October and Tier 3 on October 17th.
These backdated grants will be made available at 70% of the value of the national closed grants up to a maximum of £2,100 per four weeks for this period
If subsequently closed under national measures in England, these businesses move to the national closure scheme from Nov 5- December 2
Rateable value of premises per 2 weeks per 4 weeks
£15,000 or under £ 467 £ 934
£15,001-£50,999 £ 700 £1400
£51,000 or over £1050 £2100
The number of those business locally, along with the amount of any grant available mean the suggested grants per applicant in the table below may well not be achievable locally.
Applications will be made available in due course from the local authority websites.
LOCAL RESTRICTION SUPPORT GRANT (LRSG CLOSED)
LRSG (Closed) provides grants to businesses in the highest band of local restrictions – Local COVID Alert Level 3 (Very High) – which have been required to close during periods of local restrictions.
Funding of up to £3,000 per 28-day period is available.
During the period of national restrictions this grant is superseded by Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) Addendum.
FOR BUSINESSES CLOSED UNDER TIER 3 RESTRICTIONS FROM MID-OCTOBER
The current LRSG (Closed) application form initially posted on local authority websites for those businesses below, that were closed by Tier 3 local restrictions.
Businesses that had chosen to close, but not been required to were not eligible for this grant.
BUSINESSES CLOSED BY LAW UNDER TIER 3 RESTRICTIONS
Pubs and bars who cannot operate as if they were a restaurant
Adult gaming industry
Bingo halls
Bookmakers and betting shops
Casinos
Car Boot Sales
Clubs (e.g. working men's clubs etc)
Soft play areas
For these businesses these switchover rules now apply under guidance issued from central government.
If a business is operating as a closed business at the point of national lockdown, they will be eligible for a full grant under the 28-day payment cycle from LRSG (Closed).
All bars and pubs required to close due to national restrictions are eligible for a grant under the LRSG (Closed) Addendum.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) will move from a 14-day payment cycle to an alternative payment cycle. For 5 November – 2 December a 28-day payment cycle will be applied
If they chose to operate as a takeaway, click and collect or online with delivery services they will be counted as closed, because their substantive business has to close