Omicron hospitality, leisure and accommodation grant

Deadline for applications EXTENDED -  28 February 2022 at 5pm

This grant is aimed at rated hospitality, leisure and accomodation businesses who have had their trading impacted by the recent surge in Covid cases because of the new Omicron variant. The scheme offers one-off grants ranging from £2,667 up to £6,000 depending on the rateable value of a business.

The Government requires all potentially eligible businesses to apply and has stated that grants cannot be automatically awarded based on previous grant awards. Applications will close on Sunday 13 February 2022. Any applications received after this date will not be accepted/eligible.

What businesses are eligible?

Sector Business type
Hospitality Food courts, public houses/pub restaurants, restaurants, roadside restaurants, wine bars, cafés.
Leisure Casinos and gambling clubs, cinemas, museums and art galleries, stately homes & historic houses, theatres, events venues, night clubs & discotheques, arenas, concert halls, zoos & safari parks, amusement parks, tourist attractions, theme parks, amusement arcades, wedding venues, soft play centres or areas, clubs & institutions, village halls & scout huts, cadet huts, etc. (Please note indoor riding schools have been removed from this list by government and are no longer eligible for a grant. Council run facilities are also not eligible for a grant).
Accommodation Caravan parks, caravan sites and pitches, chalet parks, campsites, coaching inns, country house hotels, guest houses, hostels, boarding houses, hotels, lodge, holiday apartments, cottages, or bungalows, canal boats or other vessels, B&Bs, catered holiday homes, holiday homes.

Businesses must be rated to be eligible - i.e have a business rates account. Unrated, home or mobile businesses are not eligible.

Businesses will only be eligible if their main service is hospitality, leisure, or accommodation. If a business operates more than one service, the main service will be determined by assessing which category constitutes 50% or more of the overall income.

For the purpose of this scheme the following exclusions apply:

  • Hospitality - excludes food kiosks and businesses whose main service (generating 50% or more of income) is a takeaway
  • Leisure - excludes all retail businesses, coach tour operators, and tour operators. Gyms and sports clubs are also not eligible.
  • Accommodation - excludes private dwellings/those registered for council tax vs business rates, education accommodation, residential homes, care homes, residential family centres and beach huts.

What businesses are not eligible?

  • Businesses that are in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made.
  • Businesses that have already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State aid permitted under the de minimis and the Covid-19 Temporary State Aid Framework.
  • Businesses that were not registered for business rates on 30 December 2021.

Funding amounts

The following grants are available to rated businesses operating primarily in hospitality, leisure and accommodation:

  • Businesses occupying premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or under - £2,667.
  • Businesses occupying premises with a rateable value between £15,001 and £50,999 - £4,000.
  • Businesses occupying premises with a rateable value of £51,000 or over - £6,000.

How to apply - deadline 28 February 2022 at 5pm

If your business has received a COVID grant in the past, please fill in our online application form.

If your bank details have changed since you last received a COVID grant, please send copies of three-months of recent bank statements, which need to show your business name and address, account number, sort-code and recent transactions to business.grants@southderbyshire.gov.uk no later than 13 February 2022. If you do no supply the bank statements by this date, you will not receive a grant, regardless of eligibility. When sending confidential information by email, we strongly recommend you send it to us through a free Egress account at www.egress.com. This will secure your email end-to-end. Please put your application form reference in the subject of your email, so we can match up your statements to your application. We will run your new account details through our NFI and Experian checking tools to validate the account details.

If you are a new business and have not received a COVID grant in the past, or your business changed hands recently, please email business.grants@southderbyshire.gov.uk and we will send you an application form to complete.

The application deadline date is 28 February 2022 at 5pm. All required evidence must also be submitted by 28 February 2022 at 5pm. If applications/evidence are not submitted by 28 February 2022 at 5pm businesses may not receive a grant, regardless of eligibility. It is the businessess responsiblity to send in the required evidence - it is not the responsiblity of the district council to chase up any missing information.