Latest News | 15 December 2020
New Covid grants scheme for Derby firms set to launch
Derby City Council has said it will launch two new grants for businesses affected by the Covid-19 restrictions on Thursday.
Today, two current schemes, the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) and the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), which have been in place through the national measures during November, will come to an end at 5pm today.
However, from tomorrow, two new schemes for businesses who have been affected in different ways by the new Covid alert level 'Very High' (Tier 3) or ‘High’ (Tier 2) restrictions will open.
Payments made through the new schemes will be backdated to cover from the launch of Tier 3 restrictions, which came into force on Wednesday 2nd December.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant for Closed Businesses is for businesses that are required to be closed.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant for Open Businesses is for businesses which are open but are being severely affected by the impact of Covid-19.
To help businesses determine which grant to apply for, the city council is asking firms to answer these three questions: Are you registered for business rates within Derby City? Has your business got a rateable value? Has your business been forced to close?
If the answer to all these questions is ‘yes’, the business should apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant for Closed Businesses.
If the answer to at least one of these questions is ‘no’, but the business has still been severely impacted by the local restrictions, then apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) Open.
The Government has provided additional funding for the LRSG (open) scheme to allow the city council to support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses, which are open but severely impacted by the local restrictions from 2 December.
Businesses principally engaged in supplying food and beverages to these sectors, which have been severely impacted by local restrictions, are also eligible to apply.
Full details of the grants, application criteria and links to the application forms will be available on the Derby City Council’s Business Financial Support pages.
Councillor Nicola Roulstone, cabinet member for finance and procurement, said: “We remain committed to the businesses of Derby and to ensure we can provide support where it’s needed.
“These grants are designed to meet the specific needs of different businesses, those who remain closed and those who are struggling.”
The city council’s Business Financial Support pages can be found here.
