Business Grant Refusal

yozza_hughes

I am a small business and run a Retail tyre bay & motor accessories and wheel repair business,  from an Industrial unit
We have been affected considerably by the current situation, struggling to pay bills etc etc
My rateable value is £16500 and I pay rates to the local council of some £8000 per annum
I have been refused the Covid-19 Business grant by the local council, surely this is not fair & correct
I have many business associates in my trade and similar who have already received their grant, plus they pay no rates as their rateable value is under £15000, unlike mine.
This cannot be fair surely, as I have a smaller turnover business than many of my associates also, I pay rates, they do not, they receive a grant , I do not
Any help on this people, can I appeal?, as far as I'm concerned the government is doing nothing to help me and all I keep hearing on the radio is help is available to business owners!!

""Thank you for your application

Having reviewed your business rates account we would advise that you do not qualify for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund / Small Business Grant Fund for the following reason(s): 

• The Rateable Value exceeds £14,999
• The property use does not meet the criteria of eligible property uses detailed in the Expanded Retail Discount guidance.

""

Jeremy535897

The council is correct. If your rateable value is over £15,000 and you are not in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector, you do not meet the criteria for these property based grants. You are presumably using CJRS to furlough your staff? Consider a bounce back loan, or a business interruption loan. As you have already contacted the council, you could try asking if they would consider you for the discretionary top up fund (if you are in England, and if you meet the criteria) but it is really designed for smaller businesses.

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

jfinnie

Does your place predominantly look like a Halfords type retail shop selling car parts that also has a tyre bay, or is it more like a Kwikfit type place that has a few bits and bobs for sale in a waiting room?  I know places local to me that fit quite neatly into either category, and some of them when I think of them I think shop, and others I think tyre place.
  I think if you can argue it is mostly a shop you might have an argument.  It might be worth exploring, particularly if you can back it up with numbers on how the business is spread.

yozza_hughes

jfinnie said:

Does your place predominantly look like a Halfords type retail shop selling car parts that also has a tyre bay, or is it more like a Kwikfit type place that has a few bits and bobs for sale in a waiting room?  I know places local to me that fit quite neatly into either category, and some of them when I think of them I think shop, and others I think tyre place.
  I think if you can argue it is mostly a shop you might have an argument.  It might be worth exploring, particularly if you can back it up with numbers on how the business is spread.

more like a Kwikfit type place but It just doesn't seem fair at all.
We deal with predominately joe public, help out key workers with tyres, repairs to buckled wheels etc etc to keep these people in service and other places get a grant 

yozza_hughes

Jeremy535897 said:

The council is correct. If your rateable value is over £15,000 and you are not in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector, you do not meet the criteria for these property based grants. You are presumably using CJRS to furlough your staff? Consider a bounce back loan, or a business interruption loan. As you have already contacted the council, you could try asking if they would consider you for the discretionary top up fund (if you are in England, and if you meet the criteria) but it is really designed for smaller businesses.

But we are retail, a  tyre bay like a kwikfit, deal with predominately joe public, help out key workers with tyres, repairs to buckled wheels etc to keep these people in service and other places get a grant 

jfinnie

Sounds like their decision is likely correct in line with the rules then.  To qualify for the >£15Krateable value grant as a retailer you have to be eligible for the Retail Discount rates scheme (details here which provides quite detailed examples: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-retail-discount-guidance ) 

Your acquaintances it sounds are just benefitting from having smaller premises that fall under the alternative Small Business Grant Fund scheme that doesn't limit business type. 

You can always try the discretionary scheme that @Jeremy535897 suggests.  If not there are of course the low cost loans like the bounce back loan scheme, but of course you'll have the burden of that debt on your business in a year's time (spread over the following 5 years, at 2.5% interest)

Airwolf1

yozza_hughes said:

I am a small business and run a Retail tyre bay & motor accessories and wheel repair business,  from an Industrial unit
We have been affected considerably by the current situation, struggling to pay bills etc etc
My rateable value is £16500 and I pay rates to the local council of some £8000 per annum
I have been refused the Covid-19 Business grant by the local council, surely this is not fair & correct
I have many business associates in my trade and similar who have already received their grant, plus they pay no rates as their rateable value is under £15000, unlike mine.
This cannot be fair surely, as I have a smaller turnover business than many of my associates also, I pay rates, they do not, they receive a grant , I do not
Any help on this people, can I appeal?, as far as I'm concerned the government is doing nothing to help me and all I keep hearing on the radio is help is available to business owners!!

""Thank you for your application

Having reviewed your business rates account we would advise that you do not qualify for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund / Small Business Grant Fund for the following reason(s): 

• The Rateable Value exceeds £14,999
• The property use does not meet the criteria of eligible property uses detailed in the Expanded Retail Discount guidance.

""

When you say 'retail tyre bay and motor accessories', how big is this retail area compared with the workshop area?

yozza_hughes

Airwolf1 said:

yozza_hughes said:

I am a small business and run a Retail tyre bay & motor accessories and wheel repair business,  from an Industrial unit
We have been affected considerably by the current situation, struggling to pay bills etc etc
My rateable value is £16500 and I pay rates to the local council of some £8000 per annum
I have been refused the Covid-19 Business grant by the local council, surely this is not fair & correct
I have many business associates in my trade and similar who have already received their grant, plus they pay no rates as their rateable value is under £15000, unlike mine.
This cannot be fair surely, as I have a smaller turnover business than many of my associates also, I pay rates, they do not, they receive a grant , I do not
Any help on this people, can I appeal?, as far as I'm concerned the government is doing nothing to help me and all I keep hearing on the radio is help is available to business owners!!

""Thank you for your application

Having reviewed your business rates account we would advise that you do not qualify for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund / Small Business Grant Fund for the following reason(s): 

• The Rateable Value exceeds £14,999
• The property use does not meet the criteria of eligible property uses detailed in the Expanded Retail Discount guidance.

""

When you say 'retail tyre bay and motor accessories', how big is this retail area compared with the workshop area?

a bit like a Kwikfit type place that has a reception area, waiting room with display products for people to touch, inspect etc etc

yozza_hughes

jfinnie said:

Sounds like their decision is likely correct in line with the rules then.  To qualify for the >£15Krateable value grant as a retailer you have to be eligible for the Retail Discount rates scheme (details here which provides quite detailed 

Your acquaintances it sounds are just benefitting from having smaller premises that fall under the alternative Small Business Grant Fund scheme that doesn't limit business type. 

You can always try the discretionary scheme that @Jeremy535897 suggests.  If not there are of course the low cost loans like the bounce back loan scheme, but of course you'll have the burden of that debt on your business in a year's time (spread over the following 5 years, at 2.5% interest)

Just ludicrous that if my RV was £1501 less I would get the grant whether I was retail or not, so £10000 grant no question
But because I'm £1501 over then the question of eligibility applies to  'Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors'
Excuse my rant but you must understand my tone

calcotti

yozza_hughes said: Just ludicrous that if my RV was £1501 less I would get the grant whether I was retail or not, so £10000 grant no question

It's unfortunate for you but obviously there has to be a threshold somewhere and that means some will be just below and some will just over.

Airwolf1

yozza_hughes said:

Airwolf1 said:

yozza_hughes said:

I am a small business and run a Retail tyre bay & motor accessories and wheel repair business,  from an Industrial unit
We have been affected considerably by the current situation, struggling to pay bills etc etc
My rateable value is £16500 and I pay rates to the local council of some £8000 per annum
I have been refused the Covid-19 Business grant by the local council, surely this is not fair & correct
I have many business associates in my trade and similar who have already received their grant, plus they pay no rates as their rateable value is under £15000, unlike mine.
This cannot be fair surely, as I have a smaller turnover business than many of my associates also, I pay rates, they do not, they receive a grant , I do not
Any help on this people, can I appeal?, as far as I'm concerned the government is doing nothing to help me and all I keep hearing on the radio is help is available to business owners!!

""Thank you for your application

Having reviewed your business rates account we would advise that you do not qualify for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund / Small Business Grant Fund for the following reason(s): 

• The Rateable Value exceeds £14,999
• The property use does not meet the criteria of eligible property uses detailed in the Expanded Retail Discount guidance.

""

When you say 'retail tyre bay and motor accessories', how big is this retail area compared with the workshop area?

a bit like a Kwikfit type place that has a reception area, waiting room with display products for people to touch, inspect etc etc

I know car garages do qualify. It may be at the council's discretion whether a tyre place would be able to get the grant or not. (I assume the council know what your business does, if not, appeal against the decision and tell them what the business does because most of the time it is difficult to tell from a description such as Workshop and Premises). If your retail area was at least half the size of your workshop that would have helped too.