News and information for West Oxfordshire’s businesses - 26 Mar 21
Update on Restart Grants
We have received Government guidance on the new Restart Grants which will assist rate paying businesses to reopen as restrictions are eased. They will support non-essential retail premises and also the hospitality, accommodation, leisure (including gyms) and personal care sectors. The Government is asking for additional checks to ensure the funding reaches the right businesses and we are working as quickly as possible to build a process to include the new requirements and get this vital funding distributed.
It is important to clarify that the Restart Grants are not available for us to pass on to businesses until after we have received the funding from the Government and this is not expected until after Easter. To make the process easy, before the funding is released we will contact those businesses that have already received grant payments by email with information about what is required to receive the payments. Those businesses that have not previously received grant payments will be asked to apply via the Council’s web page.
Don’t forget the remaining current grant schemes will close on Wednesday 31 March so it is important that any new applications for those schemes are received by the Council before then.
We are still awaiting further information from Government for the next round of Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG grants). If you are not eligible for a Restart Grant, you may be eligible for a grant under this discretionary scheme. We will share guidance and eligibility criteria on these grants as soon as possible once we have the required Government information.
Several business groups are coming up trumps with help and advice for businesses. The ones below are good but do also check the trade association for your own sector.
Enterprise Nation - a vibrant community of small businesses and business advisers with a website packed full of resources
UK Hospitality - represents the broad hospitality sector – covering everything from bars, coffee shops, contract catering, hotels, nightclubs, visitor attractions and other leisure venues
MD2MD - helps managing directors compare notes on business MD to MD. Now operating online with a free trial period for qualifying business leaders.
Keeping up to date
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We have received Government guidance on the new Restart Grants which will assist rate paying businesses to reopen as restrictions are eased. They will support non-essential retail premises and also the hospitality, accommodation, leisure (including gyms) and personal care sectors. The Government is asking for additional checks to ensure the funding reaches the right businesses and we are working as quickly as possible to build a process to include the new requirements and get this vital funding distributed.
