Financial support during Covid-19

For information about general support and advice available for businesses during Covid-19 please visit our Business Support website.

Financial support for businesses required to close due to local lockdowns or targeted restrictions 

The government recently announced that businesses in England required to close due to local Covid-19 lockdowns or targeted restrictions may now be able to receive grant funding to support them. 

Please note, this support only becomes available once a local lockdown or targeted restrictions have been declared, as such it does not currently apply in South Oxfordshire or the Vale of White Horse.

How much will businesses be able to claim:

• For properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, grants will be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks.
• For properties with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000, grants will be £2,000 per month, or £1000 per two weeks.
• For properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over, grants will be £3,000 per month, or £1500 per two weeks.

Who will be eligible for this grant:

To be eligible for the grant businesses must have been open as usual and providing in-person services* to customers from their business premises but then required to close these services due to local Covid-19 restrictions for a period of no less than two consecutive weeks.

To qualify businesses must be on our records as the ratepayer on the date of the first full day of the lockdown or restrictions.

*In-person services include, for example, non-essential retail and personal services, or cafes/restaurants that operate primarily as an in-person venue, but which have been forced to provide takeaway-only services.

Eligibility criteria may vary between local lockdown areas, depending on what the localised restrictions are.

Payments are also subject to state aid limits.

Businesses are not eligible for this grant if they:

• can continue to trade because they do not depend on providing direct in-person services from premises and can operate their services effectively remotely (e.g. accountants, solicitors);
• are in areas outside the scope of the localised restrictions, as defined by government;
• have chosen to close but not been required to;
• have already received payments that equal the maximum level of staid aid permitted and the Covid-19 Temporary State Aid Framework;
• are in administration, are insolvent, or where a striking off notice has been made at the date of the local lockdown/restrictions;
• are still subject to national closures (e.g. nightclubs).

Contact us - Business rates

0845 300 2839
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)

vowh.businessrates@secure.capita.co.uk

Vale of White Horse District Council
PO Box 161
Erith
DA8 9DR