APPLICATIONS are now open to the Restrictions Business Fund introduced to support business sectors impacted by the additional Covid-19 restrictions put in place by the Welsh Government on 4th December.
The fund is primarily directed at the hospitality, tourism and leisure related sectors.
The purpose is to aid businesses into the New Year with cash flow support to help them survive the economic consequences of the restrictions put in place.
Hospitality businesses – including cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and accommodation providers such as hotels – which received the NNDR firebreak grant from Pembrokeshire County Council should receive payments via the Restrictions Business Fund into their bank account before Christmas.
If no payment has been received by Christmas then an application will be required. A form for this will be live from Monday, 4th January.
There are two elements to the fund being administered by Pembrokeshire County Council:
- The ERF Restrictions NDR Business Fund
- ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant
Potential applicants are asked to read the details and eligibility criteria https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support and ensure they apply to the correct fund and only if they are eligible.
Under the ERF Restrictions NDR Business Fund there are three grants available.
Grant A: Businesses in the hospitality sectors that are in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) and have a rateable value of £12,000 or less will be eligible for a £3,000 payment. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses qualifying for SBRR will also be eligible for support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.
Grant B: Hospitality businesses with a rateable value of between £12,001 and £51,000 being eligible for a £5,000 payment if they are forced to close. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses in the same rateable value bracket will also be eligible for this support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.
Grant C: Hospitality businesses with a rateable value of between £51,001 and £150,000 being eligible for a £5,000 payment if impacted by the restrictions. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses in the same rateable value bracket will also be eligible for this support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.
For more information and to apply to the ERF NDR Restrictions Fund, see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support/restrictions-business-fund
ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant
The Council will continue delivering the Lockdown Discretionary Grant to businesses and sole traders that have been directly impacted by the additional restrictions stated on 4th December.
As with the firebreak, this grant will continue to be targeted at businesses that are not on the NDR system and therefore not eligible for the NDR linked grants.
A discretionary grant of £2,000 is available to assist businesses that have been forced or required to close as a result of the restrictions.
The grant is also available to businesses which are able to demonstrate that the restrictions will result in at least a 40% reduction in their estimated turnover for December 2020 as compared to December 2019 (or September 2020 if not trading in December 2019).
Applications for the ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant will be dealt with on a first come first served basis. This may lead to applications not being appraised after they have been submitted if the fund is fully committed.
For more information and to apply to the ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant, see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support/restrictions-business-fund-discretionary-grant
It is reiterated that the Restrictions Business Fund outlined above relates to the restrictions put in place on 4th December and not those announced earlier this week and due to come into force later in December.
For more details on the Restrictions Business Fund see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support
Given the Christmas and New Year break and volume of applications expected, applicants are kindly asked to be patient as the details are processed.
All payments for successful applications will be received within 30 days.
