- Local Restrictions Support Grant Scheme
- Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme – applications are now closed
- National Lockdown Business Support Grant
- More grant and finance details here
Local Restrictions Support Grant Scheme
The government are making funding available to all Local Authorities to cover businesses that might have been affected by the lockdown from 5th November to 2nd December 2020.
January 2021 Update
As a result of the national lockdown from 5th January, the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) will be paid for 6 weeks from this date. There is also a one-off grant available for those businesses required to close for this period.
Businesses that have previously successfully applied for the LRSG for the lockdown period from 5th November to 2nd December 2020 will be contacted via email from the council to invite them to apply.
Businesses cannot apply for the grant before having applied for the national LRSG.
In order to reduce social contact these measures are essential. However we know that businesses are the lifeblood of the communities we live in and we will do all we can to help them stay afloat during these extraordinarily difficult times.
Maidstone Borough Council understands this new grant scheme will include those that may not be in the business rates system.
We are still awaiting the final details of this new scheme and will publish these on our website once we have them.
Cllr Paul Harper, Chairman of the Economic Regeneration Committee at Maidstone Borough Council
Update 19 Nov 2020 : Information here on latest release of Grants for more areas
If you are a business that is required to close, you are eligible for the following:
- properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month or £667 per two weeks
- properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month or £1,000 per two weeks
- properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month or £1,500 per two weeks
The businesses that are required to close are:
All non-essential retail
Including, but not limited to clothing and electronics stores, vehicle showrooms, travel agents, betting shops, auction houses, tailors, car washes, tobacco and vape shops.
Non-essential retail can remain open for delivery to customers and click-and-collect.
Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities
Such as bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks.
Personal care facilities
Such as hair, beauty and nail salons, tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services, non-medical acupuncture, and tanning salons.
Entertainment venues
Such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens.
Information regarding other businesses that do not fall under the above categories:
Food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open. Essential retail should follow COVID-secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers.
Hospitality venues like restaurants, bars and pubs must close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery services.
However, the takeaway of alcohol will not be allowed.
Hotels, hostels and other accommodation should only open for those who have to travel for work purposes and for a limited number of other exemptions which will be set out in law.
If you have a business that has ceased trading due to the new national restrictions from 5 November 2020, you can apply for a local restrictions support grant too.
Businesses will remain eligible for the grant where they are registered for business rates but are not required to make a payment due to the award of business rates relief.
Click and collect and take away services are allowed where the substantive business activity was previously through visiting members of the public and that has now closed.
Apply for the Local Restrictions Grant Scheme here
Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme
Businesses that were trading immediately before the recent lockdown restrictions and have therefore been required to close or have experienced a significant reduction in income can apply for a new scheme.
Maidstone Borough Council has launched a business grant called Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme.
Due to the limited funds available, there will be a fixed period for applications which have now closed.
Wondering how you are going to Bounce Back in 2021?
Rap Interiors have been helping businesses ensure their workplaces are covid-secure since the first lockdown.
We have been providing businesses with different services specific to the nature of their business and staff.
This has included protective screens, home office furniture, DSE Assessments to name a few which on a larger scope involves a workplace strategy we have been putting into place for many.
Fill out the form below or give one of the team a call on 0333 600 1234 to discuss how we can help you bounce back the second time around.
If your business is considering relocating, check out our dilapidation page here
