The Restart Grant scheme is intended to offer support for those businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors, helping them to re-open safely as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. The grants will be available from 1 April 2021.
What are the eligibility criteria?
Businesses may be eligible for the grant if they are
- Based in England;
- Paying business rates;
- In the non-essential retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care or gym sectors; and
- Trading on 1 April 2021.
Local authority guidelines around what constitutes ‘trading’ on 1 April can be found on their websites, however indicators include that the business has employees on furlough, continues to trade online, is not in liquidation and is engaged in business activity, such as managing accounts and making preparations for re-opening.
Businesses will not be able to obtain funding if they are in administration, insolvent or have been struck off the Companies House register.
All payments of the Restart Grant are subject to the Government’s subsidy allowances. There are three levels of allowance and businesses are not eligible to receive the grants if they would exceed the relevant allowance limit.
Further details on the subsidy allowance can be found here.
How much is the grant for?
It is down to the discretion of the local authority to determine eligibility for this scheme.
Where eligibility criteria are met, businesses will receive a one-off grant of up to
- £6,000 for those within the non-essential retail sector; and
- £18,000 for those within the hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym sectors.
In most cases, the amount of grant is based on the rateable value of the business premises as shown on the rating list on 1 April 2021. Rateable value bands and associated grant funding available can be found on local authority websites.
How are applications made?
The Restart Grant is available through local authorities, with application information detailed on their individual websites.
Some local authorities state that if an application form has already been completed for previous coronavirus support grants, then there is no requirement to re-apply for this funding. Funding will be paid to the business based on the details provided in the original application form.
However, other local authorities stipulate that an additional application will need to be completed for the Restart Grant, regardless of whether or not previous applications have been made.
Links for local authority websites in our region can be found below
Great Yarmouth Borough Council