Coronavirus: Business Rates Local Restriction Support Grants

The Local Restriction Support Grants (LRSG) have been introduced by the Government to assist businesses who have been ordered to close in response to the threat posed by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The grant will come into effect on 5 November 2020. It will be provided on a rolling 28 day basis as long as the National Restrictions are in place.

You can read the full regulations here.

1. Which businesses are eligible for the grant?
2. Which businesses are not eligible for the grant?
3. How much will I receive?
4. State Aid Regulations
5. Important information and Apply
6. Fraudulent applications and use of your data

Which businesses are eligible for the grant?

To be eligible for the grant, businesses must:

• Occupy and be liable for business rates on a property that appears in the Local Rating List on 4 November 2020
• Have been trading on 4 November 2020
• Have been open as usual on 4 November and providing in-person services to customers from their premises; and
• Mandated to close from 5 November to visiting members of the public for a consecutive period of no less than 28 days as a result of regulations made under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1994. 

You can see the full list of business which have been ordered to close here.

Which businesses are not eligible for the grant?

Businesses that are not eligible for the grant are:

• Those that do not appear on the Local Rating List on 4 November 2020 (i.e. do not receive a Business Rates bill for the property)
• Those that were not mandated to close (whether they have closed or not)
• Those that are able to continue to trade because they do not depend on providing direct in-person services from premises and can operate their services remotely (for example, accountants, solicitors).
• Those outside the scope of the restrictions, as defined by the Government
• Those that have already reached the maximum levels of Grant Aid allowed by State Aid rules

How much will I receive?

Grant income received by a business is taxable and will need to be included on the tax return of the business.

Important information and Apply

By completing the application form, you are confirming that you have read the above and the Central Government rules and guidance. You are also confirming that you are a business which has been mandated to close by the Government. 

Please also read the information concerning state aid applications, fraudulent applications and data use below.

You are also confirming that you understand the rules about being ordered to close and that breaching them would be an offence,

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State Aid Regulations

The grants issued to businesses in response to the COVID-19 outbreak are classed as 'state aid.'

State aid is when taxpayer funded resources are used to provide assistance to one or more organisations in a way that gives an advantage over others. 

As part of your application, you will be asked to confirm that your business will not exceed the state aid limits, as set down in law, if the grant is paid.

You will need to confirm how much state aid you have received within the current and previous two financial years. If you are not sure if help you have received qualifies as state aid, you should contact the awarding body or seek independent advice.

For the avoidance of doubt, any grants received from the Council would be considered state aid and you will need to declare these on your form.

You will also be asked to confirm that you are not an 'Undertaking in Distress' (within the meaning of Article 2(18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019).

You can read more about state aid and the definition of an 'Undertaking in Distress' here.

Fraudulent applications and use of your data

The Government will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain additional grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be subject to claw back, as may any grants paid in error.

Grant applications and award details will be shared with Central Government to ensure that applications that are false or fraudulent will have to repay the Grant. Any appropriate criminal prosecution will commence. Any Grant paid in error will also have to be repaid. 

The information you have provided as part of the Grant application will be held securely by the Council and may be used to assist with the billing and collection of Council Tax and/or Non-Domestic Rates.  Information may be shared with:

• other Council Departments,
• other Government bodies such as HM Revenue & Customs, and
• other organisations to carry out our functions as a local authority, or if required to do so by law. 

Information provided through the Grant application will also be shared with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Grant recipients may be contacted for research and evaluation purposes.

Information regarding Grant applications will also be shared with the Council's Environmental Health team. This is to ensure action can be taken against Businesses mandated to close that do not follow the law during the period of lockdown.

By completing the application form, you are confirming that you have read and understand the above information.