Omicron rescue grant scheme (ARG)
This grant scheme offers grants of between £1,000 and £6,000 to businesses across South Derbyshire who have been negatively affected by COVID lockdown measures, including the recent Omicron variant, but are not been eligible for the Omicron hospitality, leisure and accommodation grant.
The scheme offers grants the following business types:
In-person premises-based businesses - £2,667, £4,000 & £6,000
- Premises-based rated SME businesses that serve customers in person on their premises that can demonstrate they have been impacted by the continued COVID restrictions and Omicron variant.
- Premises-based unrated SME businesses that serve customers in person on their premises (does not include rent-a-chair businesses or unrated animal groomers), that can demonstrate they have been impacted by the continued COVID restrictions and Omicron variant.
- Businesses will only be eligible if they have not already benefitted from an Events & Festivals Summer Rescue Grant.
- Businesses that do not serve customers in person will not be eligible for the Rescue Grant. Businesses who supply services to in-person events and activities (such as wedding cake makers may be considered eligible and are encouraged to apply).
- Businesses the scheme will support include, but is not limited to, hospitality businesses (such as cafés in shared spaces and caterers who serve off site), holiday accommodation (unrated situations), pub tenants (unrated situations), premises-based businesses who supply services to in-person events and activities (such as wedding cake makers).
- Retailers in essential goods (food etc) are not eligible.
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Rateable value |
Grant level |
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Premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or under (or no rateable value) |
£2,667 |
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Premises with a rateable value between £15,001 and £50,999 |
£4,000 |
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Premises with a rateable value of £51,000 or over |
£6,000 |
In-person unrated, home, mobile, unrated animal groomers and rent-a-chair businesses - £1,000 & £2,000
- Businesses that operate from a premise/fixed site, that serve customers in person on their premises, but do not pay business rates (for example businesses in shared spaces, rent-a-chair hairdressers or market traders) and can demonstrate they have been impacted by the continued COVID restrictions and Omicron variant.
- Mobile or home-based businesses, that serve customers in person at a customers’ home/premise that can demonstrate they have been impacted by the continued COVID restrictions and Omicron variant.
- Business will only be eligible if they have not already benefitted from an Events & Festivals Summer Rescue Grant.
- Businesses that do not serve customers in person will not be eligible for the Rescue Grant. Businesses who supply services to in-person events and activities (such as wedding cake makers may be considered eligible and are encouraged to apply).
- Businesses the scheme will support will include, but is not limited to, personal care (such as home-based or rent-a-chair hairdressers and beauticians), mobile tradespeople (such as cleaners or electricians), driving instructors, taxis and chauffeurs, leisure, gym and sports (such as personal trainers or coaches), mobile or unrated animal groomers, market traders who can evidence they trade in South Derbyshire on a regular basis, home/mobile businesses who supply services to in-person events and activities (such as wedding cake makers).
- Retailers in essential goods (food etc) are not eligible.
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In-person unrated, home, mobile, unrated animal groomers and rent-a-chair businesses |
Grant level |
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Operating in South Derbyshire up to 3 days per week |
£1,000 |
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Operating in South Derbyshire 4+ days a week |
£2,000 |
Required evidence
To be eligible, you must be able to demonstrate that COVID has has a negative financial impact on your business. As part of the application process, you will need to supply:
- Copies of bank statements from November - December 2019, November – December 2020, and November – December 2021 that demonstrate a drop in income (if you are a seasonal business, you can choose to provide evidence from alternative two-month periods from 2019 - 2021 that demonstrate a drop in income). Alternatively, you can provide accounts that show a drop in income. If you are a new business, please upload as much as you can, and we will contact you about any additional evidence we require. Point of sale reports may be accepted.
- Where a drop in income is not clearly evident from bank statements, but businesses have lost out on new clients/orders, evidence of lost bookings or cancelled events/orders may be accepted. In such circumstances, you will have to sign a declaration.
- If you have already received an ARG discretionary grant, for which you had to demonstrate COVID had negatively impacted your business, you will not need to resupply financial loss information. In such circumstances, you will have to sign a declaration.
New applicants will need to supply photo ID, National Insurance Number (NINO), Unique Tax Reference (UTR), a valid insurance certificate, copies of licenses/inspections (food/alcohol businesses), details of fixed costs (home and mobile businesses), details of leases (premises businesses), and evidence of trading (market traders - read our policy for the full list of required evidence). Applicants who haev already benefitted from a grant do not need to resupply informatiom they have already provided, unless any of their details (name, address, bank account) have changed, or their certificates have expired.
How to apply and deadline
The funding will be issued on a first-come-first-served basis to businensses who have supplied all the required evidence.
Applications that have not been submitted with the reqiured evidence will not be considered complete and will not be assessed until the full evidence is provided/validated. If someone subsequently submits an application together with all the required evidence it will be considered prior to applications submitted without the required evidence.
As funds are limited, we recommend businesses apply as quickly as possible and submit all the required evidence.
The deadline for applications is Monday 28 February 2022 at 5pm.