Update on new business grants
Taxi drivers licensed in the city an apply for a one-off grant of £400.
There is also a childcare provider scheme for Ofsted registered early years and school-age providers whose businesses have been severely affected by the pandemic because of fewer children attending their care.
There are two types of grants available: £3,000 for providers with specific business premises and high fixed costs and £750 for licensed providers without business premises but with other fixed costs.
To find out more about these grants, offered from our additional restrictions grant fund, read the applicants’ guide.
Apply for a COVID-19 taxi grant.
Apply for a COVID-19 childcare provider grant through the business grants portal.
The deadline for applications is 31 March 2021.
Restart grant fund
As the city prepares to gradually re-open, the government has announced a restart grant fund to support shops (non-essential retail), personal care businesses such as hairdressers and beauty salons, restaurants and pubs, accommodation, and leisure.
We are awaiting details of these grants which are expected to take effect in April and replace the current Local Restriction Grants.
In the budget announcement, the government indicated that non-essential retail would receive grants of up to £6,000 and hospitality, leisure and businesses that open later in May up to £18,000, depending on the rateable value of their properties.
We are also expecting to receive an additional small award to continue our discretionary additional restrictions grant. The original grant of £5.8 million, plus a recent addition of £2.6 million, is expected to be distributed by the end of March.
The grant is being used for ‘top up’ grants and to support businesses not eligible for the main grants because they don’t pay business rates but have similar circumstances.
Our Covid-19 businesses and employers web page has details of all the available grants and will be updated as we receive more information.
New deadlines for main grants
Businesses can still apply for Local Restrictions Support grants and Tier payments, but the government has now set the following closing dates:
- 31 March for Local Restriction Support (LRSG) and Tier grants for the period up to 15 February
- 31 May for LRSG and Tier grants for the period 16 February to 31 March
Payments
We have paid £42.28 million so far to local businesses for the second and third lockdowns and are on target to make payments to all successful applicants of the main grants by 31 March.
More like this
Sparkle of hope as Christmas market takes shape
As part of the city's gradual move to recovery, proposals for a Christmas market on Valley Gardens will be discussed next week.
Project to utilise Brighton city centre’s empty stores is underway
Brighton & Hove City Council and Brilliant Brighton have teamed up to make use of vacant premises within Brighton city centre.
Council speaks up for the night-time economy
Businesses from the city’s nightlife have contributed evidence to parliament about how they are battling for survival during the pandemic.