Businesses impacted by Covid-19 “urged” to apply for grant funding

Businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic have been “urged” to apply for grant funding.

The call comes after it was revealed that £850 million of Covid-19 emergency support grants are still available.

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme was launched in January this year to support businesses in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors who lost out on valuable festive trade.

Under this scheme, eligible businesses can apply for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises.

With approximately £556 million in funding still available, the Government is urging struggling businesses to come forward and kickstart their recovery as soon as possible.

The level of grant depends on the rateable value of your business:

• businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or above can claim up to £6,000
• businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 can claim up to £4,000
• businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or below can claim up to £2,667.

Around £294 million is also available through the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme, which launched in November 2020.

This scheme is aimed at businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic but not eligible for a local authority grant. This might include suppliers of the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors or personal care businesses.

Commenting on the report, Small Business Minister Paul Scully said: “We’re working to get our economy running on all cylinders again so we can focus on making the UK the best place in the world to work and do business, creating jobs along the way.

“Eligible businesses should apply as soon as possible for the grants available to help them put the pandemic behind them and get on a sounder footing to achieve success.”

According to the latest statistics, £22 billion of grants have been delivered to small businesses throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our grant funding team today.