Businesses urged to apply for grants ahead of application deadlines

Wiltshire Council is reminding any businesses that have not yet applied for Local Restrictions Support Grants (LRSG) to do so as soon as they can, as the closing dates for applications are fast approaching.

The deadline for new LRSG applications for the period of November 2020 to January 2021 is 31 March; while the closing date for new applications for the LRSG relating to the period 16 February 2021 to 5 April 2021 is 31 May. This is for new applications only - any business that has previously been awarded a LRSG will automatically be paid again for these periods, and they do not need to contact the council.

In the recent Budget, the Chancellor announced that the LRSG will be replaced by the Restart Grant scheme from 5 April 2021. This new scheme will support high street businesses as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new grants will be worth up to £6,000 for non-essential retail, and up to £18,000 for hospitality businesses such as pubs and hotels.

The council is awaiting more information from the Government on the Restart Grant, including how much it will be able to grant to support Wiltshire businesses.

Sam Fox, Corporate Director for Place and Environment, said: "These deadlines are fast approaching, so I would urge any Wiltshire businesses that have not yet applied for a LRSG to do so as soon as they can.

"Any business that has already received a LRSG payment need not apply again as they will be paid automatically.

"We will soon be working on the new Restart Grants scheme, but I would ask people please not to contact us about this, as this may delay our officers as they pay grants. As soon as we have more information on the Restart Grants we will share it with Wiltshire businesses on our website, social media channels and in our business newsletter.

"We have paid out more than 27,000 grant awards totalling over £135m during this pandemic, and we will continue to do all we can to support Wiltshire businesses during this difficult time."

To find out more about grants, to apply, and to sign up for the Wiltshire Council business newsletter for up-to-date information, businesses should visit Coronavirus business support grants.