A background to the Discretionary Small Business Grants scheme

A discretionary grant fund has been introduced by the UK Government to help more small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Launching on Monday 1st June 2020, £1.3m in grants will be available for some firms in Eden which have been outside of the scope of existing grants’ criteria (mainly the Small Business and Retail Leisure and Hospitality Grants). Eden District Council in charge of administering this scheme locally.

Local authorities across the country have each been allocated different amounts of Government funding, and it is recognised that each area will have its own individual economic make-up and needs. Eden District Council’s aim of the discretionary fund is to support the largest number of businesses possible within the funding provided.

The discretionary scheme in Eden will prioritise support for small businesses in shared offices or flexible workspaces; regular market traders with fixed building costs; small charity properties; and B&Bs which pay council tax instead of business rates, in line with Government guidelines.

Grants will be provided on a sliding scale between £2,500 and £10,000. How much a business receives will depend on their individual circumstances, including amount of fixed costs, number of employees, and financial loss arising from the lockdown.

Applications are also invited from small manufacturing businesses; suppliers to the hospitality or leisure sectors; and other businesses which can demonstrate exceptional hardship relating to ongoing fixed property-related costs. These will be assessed in the above order subject to sufficient funding being available.

Applications for the discretionary grant scheme are now open at www.eden.gov.uk.

The initial application window closes at midnight on Sunday 14th June 2020. Applications after this date may not be considered.

Kind regards

Dan

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Dan McAulay

Business & Marketing Officer

Planning and Economic Development

Eden District Council

Telephone: 01768 212166

Email: dan.mcaulay@eden.gov.uk