An extra £3 million in Covid grants for businesses

Help is now available for companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic but who were ineligible for other types of business rates discounts.

Bury has been allocated up to £3 million through the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund to distribute to local firms – and the closing date for applications is 30 April.

Grants will take the form of a business rates relief for the financial year 2021-22. The fund replaces the right to request a reduction in business rates from the Valuation Office Agency, on the grounds that Covid-19 has been a material change of circumstances which affects the rateable value of your property.

Eligibility:

For part or all of the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, the following five criteria should have applied to your business. You must have:

• been liable for business rates
• occupied your business property
• traded from your business property
• not received either an Expanded Retail Discount or a Nursery Discount on your business rates account
• been adversely affected by the pandemic and have been unable to adequately adapt to that impact - this could include lost orders and contracts, lost revenue, significant additional costs and cashflow problems.

Amount of discount:

As the funding for this scheme is limited, the council will assess how much discount can be given to successful applicants after the closing date has passed.

How to apply:

If you have more than one business premises you will need to make a separate application for each property.

You will need to state how your business has been affected and confirm your turnover for the past 3 years.

For an application form, and more details, go to COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund - Bury Council

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, said: “We have distributed tens of millions of pounds to local businesses who have suffered because of the pandemic, but there are always a number who have not qualified for financial help because they did not meet the criteria.

“We want everyone in Bury to get all the help they can, and I urge those businesses who fall into this category to read the information and apply now before it’s too late.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 15 March 2022.