The Restart Grant was announced in the Budget on 03 March 2021. It is intended to support businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors with a one-off payment, to help them reopen safely as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
The support takes effect from 1 April 2021.
To qualify for a grant, businesses must satisfy all of the following criteria:
- Have a property within with a qualifying rateable value.
- Have been trading on 1 April 2021.
- Be classed as non-essential retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care or a gym business.
- Annex C of the Government’s Restart Grant guidance gives a more indicative list of businesses that fall into scope of the Restart Scheme.
- Offer in-person services where the main service/ activity takes place in a fixed-rate paying premises.
- Not be in administration, insolvent or have a striking-off notice against them.
- Not breach subsidy rules if they were to receive a grant payment under this scheme.
How much is the grant?
Businesses can make an application for each property with a rateable value that they operate. Each property requires a separate application.
The grant will be a one-off payment and calculated based on the rateable value of the qualifying business property. There are two strands to the Restart Grant as follows:
Strand One – non-essential retail properties
Rateable value | Grant |
£15,000 or under | £2,667 |
£15,001 – £50,999 | £4,000 |
£51,000 or over | £6,000 |
Strand Two – hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses
Rateable value | Grant |
£15,000 or under | £8,000 |
£15,001 – £50,999 | £12,000 |
£51,000 or over | £18,000 |
How to apply
If you meet the criteria for the Restart Grant, you can apply online now via your local council’s website. They will review your application and let you know if you are entitled to a payment. Northumberland’s system is up and running but we’re aware that some of council’s are not operating as yet.
As ever, if you have any queries please get in touch.