Grants will soon be available for businesses in Calderdale which have had to close or have been badly affected due to COVID-19.
The government has allocated around £10 million to Calderdale Council to support businesses through several new grants.
This builds on the 5,500 coronavirus-related grants which the Council has already paid out to businesses across the borough during the pandemic, totalling about £62 million.
In line with the recent government announcement, eligible local businesses will be able to apply for the new grants from the week starting Monday 16 November, when the application forms and advice about eligibility will be available on the Council’s website: Local Restriction Support Grant.
Cllr Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, said:
“Our local businesses are a major part of Calderdale’s economy and distinctiveness. We know they have been hit extremely hard by COVID-19 and that many of them are anxious about their current and future trade. We are doing everything we can to support them. Our teams, along with our partner organisations, have been working around the clock giving information, advice, one-to-one support and grants to our most affected businesses since the pandemic began.
“We are proud of the amazing resilience, talent and enterprise that our local businesses have continued to show, but we know that the new national restrictions will bring further worry.
“We encourage eligible businesses to apply for the new grants from the week beginning Monday 16 November, which our teams are working on non-stop to get up and running.”
The new business grants:
Local Restriction Support Grant (Closed)
Businesses which have been legally required to close to protect people from COVID-19 can apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed). Eligible businesses include those in non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports and hospitality.
The grants will be:
- £1,334 per 28-day qualifying restriction period – for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under on 5 November 2020 (when national restrictions started).
- £2000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period – for businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 on 5 November 2020.
- £3000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period – for businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or above on 5 November 2020.
Local Restriction Support Grant (Open)
Businesses which were in Tier 2 restriction areas between 1 August and 5 November can apply for the Local Restriction Support Grant (Open) for that period. Government guidance says this will be aimed at hospitality, hotel, bed & breakfast and leisure businesses. Tier 2 restrictions came into place in Calderdale on Wednesday 14 October and the grants will be backdated to 1 August.
The grant amounts will be:
- Up to £934 per 28-day period for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under on 14 October 2020.
- Up to £1,400 per 28-day period for businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 on 14 October 2020.
- Up to £2,100 per 28-day period for businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or above on 14 October 2020.
Local Restriction Support Grant (Sector)
This grant applies to businesses which have been required to close since the first lockdown in March 2020, such as nightclubs. The Council is awaiting further detail and an allocation from the government and will update local businesses as soon as possible.
Discretionary grants
The Council is working as quickly as possible to develop further grant schemes for businesses which are not eligible for the other new grants detailed above. Supporting local businesses remains a priority and more information will be available soon.
Updates will be made on the Local Restriction Support Grant page on the Council’s website, which can also be accessed from www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/businesses