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Coronavirus information for businesses

January 11 - Update

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure grants
The government announced on 21 December 2021 a new grant scheme for hospitality and leisure businesses affected by the Omicron variant.
A new application will be required for this grant payment. Applications will open as soon as possible.
 
Eligibility criteria
  • businesses must have been trading as of 30 December 2021
  • businesses must be rated for business rates
  • businesses must not be in liquidation, dissolved, struck off or subject to a striking-off notice or under notice
  • business premises must be occupied as of 30 December 2021, void premises are not eligible for the grants
  • grants will be paid to the rate payer as of 30 December 2021
  • the primary principle of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is to support businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises, in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.
  • businesses must not have hit the maximum grants subsidy allowances.
  • full details of the scheme can be found on gov.uk. 
 
Businesses must fall into one of the following categories to be eligible for the grant payment: 
 
Hospitality definition - defined as a business whose main function is to provide a venue for the in person (dine in) consumption and sale of food and drink, such as:
Food courts Roadside restaurants
Public houses/pub restaurants Wine bars
Restaurants Cafés
Exclusions: takeaways, where the business takes 50% or more of its income from takeaway sales. 
 
Leisure definition - a business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, days and nights out, betting and gaming, such as:
Casinos and gambling clubs Arenas
Cinemas Concert halls
Museums and art galleries Tourist attractions
Stately homes & historic houses Theme parks
Theatres Amusement arcades
Zoos & safari parks Soft play centres or areas
Amusement parks Indoor riding centres
Wedding venues Clubs & institutions
Events venues Village halls
Night clubs & discotheques Scout huts,cadet huts, etc.
Exclusions - all retail businesses, personal care businesses, coach tour operators, and tour operators
 
Accommodation definition - a business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes, such as:
Caravan parks, Caravan sites and pitches Lodges and Boarding houses
Chalet parks Holiday apartments,Cottages or bungalows
Coaching inns Campsites
Country house hotels Canal boats or other vessels
Guest houses B&Bs
Hostels Catered holiday homes
Hotels Holiday homes
Exclusions - private dwellings, education accommodation, residential homes, care homes, residential family centres and beach huts
 
Grant amounts
The amount of grant awarded is based on a properties rateable value as below:
Property RV Amount of grant funding
15,000 and under £2,667
15,001 to 50,999 £4,000
51,000 and over £6,000
 
Any changes to the rating list (rateable value or to the hereditament) after 30 December 2021 should be ignored for the purposes of eligibility. Local Authorities are not required to adjust, pay or recover grants where the rating list is subsequently amended retrospectively to 30 December 2021. In cases where it was factually clear to the Local Authority on 30 December 2021 that the rating list was inaccurate on that date, Local Authorities may withhold the grant and/or award the grant based on their view of who would have been entitled to the grant had the list been accurate. This is entirely at the discretion of the Local Authority and only intended to prevent manifest errors.
 
Grant payments can only be paid into the businesses UK bank account.
 
Will grants be subject to tax?
• Grant income received by a business is taxable. The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant will need to be included as income in the tax return of the business.
• Only businesses that make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.
• Payments made to businesses before 5 April 2022 will fall into the 2021/22 tax year. Unincorporated businesses will be taxed when they receive the grant income.
 
Fraud
The Government will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain additional grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be recovered, as may any grants paid in error.
 
Tamworth Borough Council will carry out pre payment checks on businesses and may ask for further information to help us ensure that grants are paid to the correct recipients. 
 
Data protection and data sharing
Local Authorities are required to collect information from businesses receiving these grant payments and will be required to account for how the funding has been spent. Grant recipients should also be advised that they may be contacted for research purposes, and that their data will be shared with BEIS for research and evaluation purposes. Data may be shared with other enforcement agencies for the prevention and detection of crime.
 
Applications are now closed.
 
Closing date for applications was 18 March 2022.
Please note that the Government has confirmed that gyms, sports businesses, hairdressers, beauticians and takeaways are EXCLUDED from this scheme.
 
Visit the Government's news website to find out more.

Additional Restrictions Grant

Under the Additional Restrictions Grant, the council received a one off lump sum payment amounting to £20 per head of population as national restrictions were imposed on 5 November.

The Council was required to write a policy to allocate those funds during the period from 5 November 2020 to 31 March 2022. Local authorities can use this funding for any business support activities. The government envisage this will primarily take the form of discretionary grants, but the council may also use this funding for wider business support activities; on its own or with other partner organisations, such as other Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Further details on the Additional Restriction Grant schemes can be found here: www.tamworth.gov.uk/additional-restrictions-grant

Please be aware that we are anticipating exceptionally high levels of service demand at the moment and we aim to provide you with an outcome of your application as soon as we can.

Staffordshire Means Back to Business Support Scheme

The government announced additional support for business in the spring Budget, including extending the Coronavirus Job Support Scheme (furlough) until September. Business can also sign up to receive essential support through a free 12-month membership package with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Now Staffordshire businesses and employees can get a further boost through the £5m Staffordshire Means Back to Business Support Scheme - an enhanced package of funding to help in the way that matters most.

Other useful links: