As the Omicron restrictions were brought in late last year, an additional round of Local Authority Business grants was also announced. Central Bedfordshire Council have now announced that applications for these are now open.

If you are not based in Central Beds, we’d recommend visiting the website for your Local Authority as they are also likely to have got their plans in place by now. 

If you do find any news from Dacorum or any of the other Authorities, please do let us know. We have clients in all sorts of areas across the UK, so it can be really helpful to know who’s doing what!

Central Beds have the following details their website:

Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)

Non-rate paying businesses (does not have a liability to pay business rates) in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors severely impacted by the rise of the Omicron variant will be eligible to apply. Only businesses open and actively trading on 30th December 2021 are eligible for this latest scheme.

Applications will be open for 4 weeks until Monday 21st February 2022 and will be assessed at the end of the period.

Find out more here.

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG)

This grant is to support businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in fixed, business rates paying premises (including if you receive business rates relief from us) within the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.

Applications will be open for 6 weeks until Friday 4 March 2022.

To be eligible, your:

• business must be the ratepayer of the premises on 30 December 2021
• property must be in the rating list on 30 December 2021
• business must have been trading on 30 December 2021
• business must offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in the fixed business rates paying premises
• main service must fall into one of the hospitality, leisure or accommodation sectors

If eligible, the amount of money your business will receive will depend on your rateable value.

Find out more here.

COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF)

The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) provides additional business rates relief, and the government has allocated us over £5.3 million. We are working through the detail to understand the number of businesses we can support, in which sectors and how much they will receive. Applications should be open at the end of January for this scheme.

Watch this page for more details.

These schemes are only available for a limited time, and are very likely to be the last of the support options available for businesses. If you qualify, don’t delay! Get your applications in sooner rather than later. If we can help in any way, please shout!