Further COVID-19 business grants available for South Derbyshire firms
Business grants are available for businesses in South Derbyshire that were legally required to close during the second lockdown and tier three measures.
The grants, administered by South Derbyshire District Council, are also available for businesses that were able to remain open but have been impacted by the second lockdown and tier three measures.
Local businesses that were legally required to close during the second national lockdown have been applying for grants between £1,334 and £3,000.
To date, the Council has awarded just over £500,000 to nearly 350 businesses, but is calling for other businesses that were required to legally close to make sure they apply for these lifeline grants.
The latest grant scheme is aimed at businesses that have been required to close due to the national restrictions that started on 5 November 2020. It is for businesses including non-essential retail, personal care services, hospitality venues, leisure facilities, accommodation providers, entertainment venues and more.
Councillor Martyn Ford, South Derbyshire District Council’s leader, said: “So far hundreds of businesses have applied for a closed for business grant, but we know there are a number of businesses that are likely to be eligible that have not yet applied.
“If businesses applied for the first lock-down grant earlier this year, and none of their details have changed, they just need to fill in a simple online declaration form and we are processing payments within seven working days.
“Businesses that are not allowed to open under tier three measures, such as restaurants and pubs, will also receive additional payments every two weeks so the ‘closed for business’ grants are well worth applying for.”
Businesses that were not required to legally close, but whose business has been impacted because they supply, or rely on, closed businesses or industries, such as the events industry can also apply for an ‘open for business’ grant.
Councillor Ford continued: “We are pleased to have launched our ‘open for business’ grant scheme. To qualify businesses need to rely on closed businesses or industries for their trade for more than 50 per cent of their turnover, and their turnover must have been negatively impacted by at least 20 per cent.
“Grants of between £934 and £2,100 are available for the November lockdown, and further payments will be made to those businesses that continue to be impacted under tier three restrictions.”
The Council is also set to award a further £1,000 one-off grant to wet-led pubs, which do not serve food, that have been awarded by Government in recognition that such businesses will continue to be impacted for longer than those pubs that serve food.
The Council is asking wet-led pubs and bars to apply for a ‘closed for business’ grant first, and will then award the £1,000 grant in addition to the ‘closed for business’ grant.
The grants can used to support the operation of a business and do not have to be paid back.
To find out how to apply for the open and closed for business grants, visit www.southderbyshire.gov.uk/businessgrants.
There is currently no deadline for the ‘closed for business’ grant applications. The deadline for ‘open for business’ applications is 31 January 2020.
11 December 2020