Council Refused Covid 19 Small Business Grant

kirstiehutch2

Hi, I work for a small business (charity) that occupies an office in a shared office block. We pay our own business rates on our office and are eligible for small business rate relief.
We applied for the small business grant and have just heard back from the council to say we are not eligible as we are not a retail unit. I was under the impression that there were two grants available one for small businesses and another separate one for retail and hospitality. Could someone please advise?
I have asked the council for clarification but don't hold out much hope as I rang them about my personal council tax and the person I spoke to hadn't heard the word 'furlough' before!!
Any help with this will be much appreciated.

huckster

Whenever Government issues any financial support schemes, they always publish all of the information online.   So if you can find no online details of support for your business, it may not be available yet.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding

ljwhitehouse

For me it sounds like you should be eligible as long as you were registered for business rates before 11th March and you're rateable value is under 10K (IIRC maybe 15K). There is no stipulation on a small business and sole traders are eligible also.

Jeremy535897

Please see the full details as they currently stand. The two types of grant are clearly set out. You need to go back to the council.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/878084/V4_Master_Small_Business_Grant_Fund_and_Retail_guidance.pdf

Hesel18

this from Gov.uk website

The Business Secretary Alok Sharma and Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke spoke to local authorities in England yesterday to set out that up to £617 million would be made available.

This is an additional 5% uplift to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF), so up to £617 million. We will confirm the exact amount for each local authority next week.

This additional fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared spaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. But local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need. The allocation of funding will be at the discretion of local authorities.

Businesses must be small, under 50 employees, and they must also be able to demonstrate that they have seen a significant drop of income due to Coronavirus restriction measures.

There will be three levels of grant payments. The maximum will be £25,000. There will also be grants of £10,000. local authorities will have discretion to make payments of any amount under £10,000. It will be for councils to adapt this approach to local circumstances.

Further guidance for local authorities will be set out shortly.

Jeremy535897

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/top-up-to-local-business-grant-funds-scheme