New measures to support businesses during lockdown
SUPPORT: Councillor Daren Hale. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography
The city council has announced a new raft of measures to support some Hull businesses during lockdown.
Businesses forced to close, which are registered for business rates, will receive grants worth up to £3,000 per month under the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG).
Businesses need to have a rateable value and be registered for business rates to receive the grant.
These businesses will be eligible for the following:
• For properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, grants to be £1,334 per four weeks
• For properties with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000, grants to be £2,000 per four weeks
• For properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over, grants to be £3,000 per four weeks
Councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for investment and regeneration, said: “These are difficult and challenging times for many businesses, especially those in sectors such as leisure, retail and hospitality.
“The council is committed to ensuring the financial support available reaches these businesses as quickly as possible, and I can assure people that officers have been working flat-out to ensure we have the most efficient structure in place to do this.
“There will be information on Hull City Council’s website, and I urge any business interested in finding out more to make this their first port of call. If they need further information, they should contact our business support team.”
Local Authorities are also being given funding, additional to the business rates grants above, to implement an Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).
This will be a single allocation based on £20 per head of population for local authorities to use to run a discretionary grant scheme. These can be paid to businesses severely impacted, rather than closed, and businesses forced to close but which may not have a business rates account and are therefore ineligible for the LRSG.
Government guidance on this newly announced scheme is awaited, however preparations are well under way to ensure they address local needs and priorities.
The council is ensuring that businesses will be able to apply for both these grants as quickly as possible, it said. It will make further information, and details of how to apply, available in due course.
This information will be made available on the authority’s dedicated Covid-19 webpage for businesses –
For inquiries about the above schemes and other help and support, the council’s business support team can be contacted via email at business.support@hullcc.gov.uk
For advice and guidance on whether a business needs to close, or for advice around coronavirus compliance, visit www.gov.uk.