Restrictions Business Fund
The Welsh Government has opened the Restrictions Business Fund to support businesses and sole traders that have been directly impacted by the extended restrictions announced by the First Minister on 29th January 2021 and needed to control the spread of Covid-19. The purpose of the grant is to provide businesses with cash flow support and to help them survive the economic consequences of the extended restrictions.
The fund consists of the following two schemes.
1. Restrictions Business Fund Non Domestic Rates (NDR) Linked Grants – March 2021
2. Business Restrictions Discretionary Grant
Details and Guidance for each scheme is listed below.
1. Restrictions Business Fund Non Domestic Rate Grant (NDR) Linked Grants – March 2021
The Welsh Government introduced the Restrictions Business Fund to support businesses (principally in the hospitality, tourism, leisure and non-essential retail sectors) with cash flow support and to help them survive the economic consequences of restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19. This was extended by the First Minister in his announcement on 12th March 2021.
Further non-domestic rates (NDR) linked grants are now available and seek to complement other Covid-19 response measures to support businesses, social enterprises and charitable organisations in Wales. You cannot and should not apply for a local authority discretionary fund grant if you are eligible for one of these NDR linked grants.
i) Grant A:
A £4,000 cash grant payment for hospitality, tourism and related supply chain businesses including some retail businesses with Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) qualifying hereditaments with a rateable value of £12,000 or less.
ii) Grant B:
A £5,000 cash grant payment for hospitality, tourism and related supply chain businesses including some retail businesses occupying hereditaments with a rateable value between £12,001 and £500,000.
The new NDR linked grant schemes are being introduced in Wales on 15th March 2021. They will help businesses affected by coronavirus restrictions to meet operating costs falling within the 2020/21 financial year to 31st March 2021.
If you registered your details and received an NDR linked grant for the schemes introduced in December 2020 and subsequently extended, you do not need to take any further action. Your local authority will process your new grant payment automatically.
If you did not register your details and did not receive a grant via the schemes introduced in December, and you wish to apply for one of the new grants, you will need to complete this short registration form.
Businesses needing to register will need to be liable as the ratepayer to the local authority and in occupation of the qualifying hereditament on 1st March 2021.
Please only compete this application form if you are liable for paying business rates to your local authority.
Applications will open on Monday 15th March 2021 and close Wednesday 31st March 2021.
Please note that the previous NDR linked grant schemes introduced in December 2020 and subsequently extended, closed to new applicants at 5pm on Thursday 11th March 2021.
Apply Now – Restrictions Business Fund NDR Grant
2. Business Restrictions Discretionary Grant
A discretionary grant of £2,000 is available to assist all businesses required to close or have been significantly impacted by the restrictions businesses: -
The grant will also support businesses that estimate that the extended restrictions put in place will result in at least a 40% reduction in their turnover as compared to an equivalent restriction free trading period prior to 23rd March 2020. Those applicants that started trading after 23rd March 2020 will need to declare (and may be asked to demonstrate) a 40% reduction in turnover for an equivalent trading period since they commenced in business.
Businesses need to confirm how the extended restrictions announced on 29th January by the First Minister will negatively affect their business.
You are not eligible for this grant if:
You are eligible for, or have received, the Restrictions Business Fund NDR Grant from your Local Authority.
The business generates less than 50% of your income.
The business must be your main source of income.You are eligible for a ‘top-up’ payment via the extended Freelancer Fund.
Please ensure that you read the Guidance Notes in full to check if you are eligible for funding via the Discretionary Grant before submitting an application Restrictions Business Fund Discretionary Grant - Guidance Notes.
f eligible, you will be able to access the online application form below, please ensure that all the requested fields are completed before submitting your application. Please note that all fields are mandatory – failure to complete them will result in your application being rejected.
Applications 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. Applicants will be notified of this by email.
The funding for this grant has now been fully allocated.