Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Last Chance for Discretionary Business Grants

On Monday 3 August 2020, Birmingham City Council opened online applications for businesses to apply for a non-repayable grant of up to £25,000, with an increased eligibility criterion, to include more small businesses, certain sole traders, and self-employed workers.

In accordance with the Government announcement, which requires councils to allocate all grant funding by the end of August, applications will be determined on a first-come-first-served basis, with those not supplying supporting evidence placed to the back of the queue.

The second round will only be open for two weeks. Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We know how tough the last few months have been for businesses in Birmingham and we’re working hard to protect jobs and livelihoods.

These grants do not have to be repaid and could prove to be a lifeline in the wake of Covid-19, so we want to give everyone a fair opportunity to prepare and apply.

“During the first round of applications we received 1,898 applications and paid out a total of £4.5 million to 1,020 businesses, which worked out as an average grant of £4,412 each. Aside from not meeting the eligibility criteria, the main reason that applications were not approved was because they were missing the correct supporting evidence.

Therefore, I would urge all applicants to check they have provided everything at the time of completing the application form, to ensure that they don’t miss out.”

Businesses who were unsuccessful in the first round can also reapply, as can businesses with a Rateable Value of over £51,000, who were previously excluded. Whilst businesses that have received Government support through the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme are eligible to apply, those that have already received grant funding, such as Small Business or Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants will not be eligible.
Required evidence includes copies of bank statements from the last seven months (Word or Excel spreadsheets will not be accepted); and HR or payroll printouts to demonstrate staffing numbers for businesses with between 40 and 50 employees.

Applications will be processed in date order but will not start until after the window closes on 17 August. Businesses will receive a confirmation email at the time of applying and will receive an update on their application within four weeks. Businesses are asked not to contact the council before that date as it will slow down the determination process.

In total, Birmingham City Council has paid out more than £220m in grant funding to businesses through the first round of the Discretionary Grant Fund, Small Business and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants.

For more information on the eligibility criteria and evidence which is require when applying, visit the Discretionary Grants information page on the Birmingham City Council website.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Stay Connected

257FansLike
120FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1,173FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Please Donate

The Hockley Flyer magazine if entirely funded by the advertising, but we could always do with a little bit more funding. The advertising not only pays for the design/printing, but also postage, delivery, all the associated paperwork/accounts, and research for the Heritage section. Our subscribers pay only a bit more then the postage/mailing costs, and the magazines are free - no cover price.



Subscribe to News Digest

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to for awesome content in your inbox with latest updates in a daily digest.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Latest Articles

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x