Don’t miss the deadline for £2.6 million of support for Wealden businesses

Wealden businesses that were not eligible for Covid-19 Small Business or Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants have until Friday 19 June to apply for the Council’s new Discretionary Business Grant.

This support is geared towards helping small businesses not eligible for other support because they do not pay business rates. Typical enterprises which can be helped are those in shared or managed offices, bed and breakfast establishments and regular market traders.

“We have already paid out £36.4 million to local businesses through the original Covid business support schemes,” said Councillor Bob Standley, Leader of Wealden District Council. “We now have a further £2.6 million to help other Wealden businesses, ensuring our rural economy continues to survive and thrive despite the pandemic.
“We were concerned that some businesses, which did not pay business rates, had been missing out on help from Small Business Grants and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants. Along with other local authorities, we raised this with the Government. I am pleased to say they have responded with a discretionary scheme which has allowed us identify local priorities, once national priorities have been met.

Bed and breakfast premises will be eligible to grants of up to £5,000, market traders grants up to £3,000 and other small business may be eligible to grants of up to £10,000, in accordance with our Discretionary Grant Policy.

In very exceptional circumstances, we will consider awarding grants of £25,000 where the failure of a business would have a significant impact on the economy of Wealden.

It is important that anyone who believes they may be eligible, completes the Covid-19 Discretionary Grant Scheme for Businesses application form. This which can be found on the Covid-19 pages of the Wealden website. It will help us ensure payments for national priorities and local priorities are made as quickly as possible.”

The closing date for applications for the Wealden Discretionary Grant Scheme for Businesses is 5pm on Friday 19 June.

Payments for schemes which meet the national priorities will be made before the end of June. Payments for schemes which meet local priorities will depend on all payments for the national priorities having been met. Payments for schemes which meet local priorities are not expected to begin until 6 July.

National priorities highlighted in the Discretionary Grant Scheme are:

• Businesses in shared office space which do not pay business rates
• Regular market traders
• Bed & Breakfast operators who pay council tax.
• Charities which would have been eligible for Small Business Grant had they not received charitable business rates relief.

Wealden’s local priorities are:

• Food, beverage and supply chain.
• Medical services.
• Non–profit making organisations helping the vulnerable and disadvantaged which do not receive any other support from the local authority.
• Training services.

Businesses must have a relatively high ongoing fixed building costs and demonstrate a significant financial loss as a result of Covid 19. Further details can be found in the Discretionary Grant Policy.

For details about the Small Business Grant Scheme and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Scheme and other scheme to help business, visit the Grants and Support for Businesses page on the Covid-19 section of our website.