March 31, 2020 9.48 am This story is over 48 months old

Lincolnshire businesses encouraged to access coronavirus aid funds

£10-15k grants to help with COVID-19 disruption

Businesses across Greater Lincolnshire need to provide contact details to their district council or unitary authority if they think they are eligible for financial support to help them through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small Business Grants Fund

Small businesses that pay little or no business rates and are eligible for small business rate relief or rural rate relief will receive a £10,000 cash grant.

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund

If you run a business in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector and your premises have a rateable value under £15,000, you will receive a grant of £10,000.

If you run a business in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector and your premises have a rateable value between £15,001 and £51,000, you will receive a grant of £25,000.

These are grants, not loans, and do not need to be paid back.

To be eligible your business must be:

  • based in England
  • receiving small business rate relief or rural rate relief
  • in an occupied property as of 11th March 2020 that is wholly or mainly being used
  • neither liquidated nor dissolved as of 11th March 2020

Councils are aiming to start releasing the grants from April 1, 2020 and will be paying them in tranches, so not all will be paid immediately.

While councils have written to eligible businesses, some businesses may not appear on the council’s database or the business owner might not be at the relevant address, so it is important to visit your council’s website and complete the form, even if you do not receive a letter or email.

Businesses eligible for the business rates holiday will receive revised bills soon so there is no need to contact the council about this.

This new advice page on the Business Lincolnshire website has links to the councils that should be contacted depending on where your business is based.