information from West Suffolk Council
As part of its national restriction measures, the Government has announced grant funding to be paid out by councils to businesses that have, as a result, been told to close (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november?priority-taxon=09944b84-02ba-4742-a696-9e562fc9b29d#businesses-and-venues).
These will be paid as one-off grants to cover a 28-day period.
West Suffolk Council has been given an allocation of £2.9m and the eligibility for these grants has been set by Government.
The grants are different to last time as they are being targeted at businesses that have had to close to comply with the national restrictions – it will not be enough for a business that is still open to show that it has been impacted by the restrictions.
Businesses that have, as a result, set up a click and collect service, and restaurants providing a takeaway service, will still be able to claim.
The amounts that closed businesses can claim are the following:
- Businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under and who are eligible can claim for a grant of £1,334.
- Businesses with a rateable value of £15,001 to £50,999 and who are eligible can claim for a grant of £2,000.
- Businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 and above and who are eligible can claim for a grant of £3,000.
Our approach
We have uploaded an online form for businesses to claim their grant. This is live on our website at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support/localrestrictionsbusinesssupportgrant.cfm
We have already put out messages via the media and social media directing businesses to keep an eye on our www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/c19business webpage for updates on the Government grants and anticipate that once live, businesses will start putting in their claims.
We will email stakeholders to get messages out to their businesses encouraging them to apply. As well as Councillors, these stakeholders include, our staff, BIDs, Menta, the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, town and parish councils, DMOs and our MPs.
Then next week we will begin a three-pronged targeted campaign to reach eligible business to include:
- An email mail out to all businesses we paid under the previous grants to say they may be eligible, see our webpage.
- Phone calls to businesses identified by Anglia Revenues Partnership as likely to be eligible, having not received a previous grant.
- A media and social media campaign to reach other businesses who may be eligible but unfortunately we don’t hold enough business information in our Business Rates system to assess.
This will run alongside our work with many of the stakeholders above.