Covid-19 Business Support Grants
There has been a number of cash grants made available from government (Small Business Grant Fund, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, Discretionary Fund, Local Restrictions Support Grant schemes, Additional Restrictions Grant, Christmas Support Payment for Wet-led Pubs and the Closed Business Lockdown Payment). These have been administered by the Business Rates Team and Business Investment Team with support from colleagues across the council as appropriate. A summary of this support and the impact it has on the city's SME community is noted as follows:
- Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund - over 4,000 payments made with a value of over £45.5m to eligible businesses and organisations (NB RHLG was also open to larger companies within State Aid limits)
- Discretionary Grant - Phase 1 - £725,000 (117 SMEs)
- Discretionary Grant - Phase 2 - £1,685,000 (94 SMEs)
- 36 grants awarded to charities and CICs through the Discretionary Grant schemes
- Local Restrictions Support Grant schemes - Government schemes (to date, including the Christmas Business Lockdown Payment) - £13,031,983.06
- Local Restrictions Support Grant - enhanced scheme (covering businesses without their own rateable value and direct suppliers to the eligible sectors) through the Additional Restrictions Grant (to date, including the Christmas Business Lockdown Payment one-off payment) - £ 1,557,863,67
- Total number of SMEs paid through LRSG overall - 2,436
- 19 grants awarded to CICs through overall LRSG scheme
In addition to the grants detailed above, the Government announced additional business rates reliefs for eligible properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors as well as nurseries. The Business Rates team have awarded reliefs totalling over £41.96m to 1,528 eligible properties which benefits small businesses as well as larger companies.
Case studies
