New round of support grants for Bristol businesses to open this week
A new round of discretionary business grants will go live at midday on Wednesday 10 February. The discretionary grants are specifically for Bristol’s businesses who have been severely financially impacted by COVID-19 restrictions across Tier 2, Tier 3 and national lockdowns.
The discretionary grant is open to applications from all businesses across all sectors including self-employed and sole traders as well as small or micro businesses.
The latest round is funded through the Local Restriction Support Grants (Open**) and Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) schemes, for the period of 2 December 2020 to 15 February 2021.
Applications received will be assessed against the eligibility criteria and grants will be awarded dependent on the size of the business or the rateable value of the business premises.
Bristol City council says it is “working hard to make sure all businesses get the financial support they are entitled to during this difficult time. However, funding from the government is unfortunately limited in value.”
They estimate that the volume of eligible businesses within the region could result in the grant scheme being oversubscribed so are encouraging businesses to apply as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment. The application window will be closed as soon as the funding has all been allocated.
To apply, businesses must have identification and documentation as evidence of trading such as sales invoices, an active lease agreement and a business bank account statement.
Businesses who received a payment under a previous ARG scheme will automatically receive a top up, and do not need to apply again, though we may contact some for further information.
Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance, Governance and Performance, said: “The lockdown measures introduced in November and the ongoing restrictions continue to severely impact key areas of our economy. We back the measures needed to contain the spread of the virus, but we are equally committed to helping workers and businesses get through this incredibly difficult period.
“Bristol’s business community is composed of an incredible range of vibrant independent businesses, events and creative industry experts and hospitality venues. They provide thousands of local jobs and are a vital part of what makes our city so unique. These discretionary grants, while more restricted in quantity and value than we would like, will still provide support for businesses and protect jobs at this difficult time in the face of this unprecedented crisis.”
Businesses should visit the grant pages on the council website to apply. Bristol City Council also recommend businesses sign up to their business newsletter to receive the latest information.
Business can currently apply for a range of grants including for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Addendum, Closed, Sector), Christmas Support Payment (CSP) and the Closed Business Lockdown Payment. These grants are intended to respond to previous periods of lockdown or where a business has been forced to close due to the tier system.
The council have currently paid over 7300 grants totalling £25,110,708 since 1 November 2020 to businesses across Bristol.
