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<p>The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their
ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package
of support includes the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF). Businesses with a property
that on the 11 March 2020 were eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) Scheme
or those businesses which on 11 March 2020 were eligible for relief under the Rural
Rate Relief Scheme, will be eligible for the SBGF.</p><p> </p><p>The SBGF, alongside
the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund, have helped supported many thousands
of small businesses.</p><p> </p><p>In order to ensure that Local Authorities can help
these businesses, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up
to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities in England to allow them
to provide discretionary grants. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants
Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not
liable for business rates or rates reliefs. It is our intention that the following
businesses should be considered as a priority for these funds:</p><ul><li>Businesses
in a range of shared workspaces;</li><li>Regular market traders who do not have their
own business rates assessment;</li><li>B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business
rates; and</li><li>Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief
which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural
Rate Relief.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Local authorities may choose to make payments to
other businesses based on local economic need and subject to those businesses meeting
the specific eligibility criteria.</p>
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