COVID-19 support for businesses during national and local lockdowns
The government is providing support grants to help businesses impacted by the national and local lockdowns put in place to help manage the spread of coronavirus.
Latest update, 4 March 2021
Restart Grant scheme
We are awaiting guidance on this scheme which will provide grants of up to £6,000 per premise for non-essential retail businesses and £8,000-£18,000 to qualifying hospitality and leisure businesses.
Latest Local Restrictions Support Grant update
For those businesses eligible for business grants, we have now paid up to and including 31 March 2021 (the last payment should reach bank accounts within 5 working days).
If you are one of the very few outstanding cases to be resolved, you are our top priority. If you have been asked to provide more information, please do so as soon as possible so that we can get your payment out.
If you have already applied for a grant since November 2020, you do not need to apply again. We will work out any grants due to you once we have guidance in place.
Local Restrictions Support Grants payments table
| Rateable Value | Second lockdown
5 Nov - 1 Dec 2020 | Tier 3 restrictions
2 Dec - 19 Dec 2020 | Tier 4 restrictions
20 Dec - 4 Jan 2021 | Third lockdown
5 Jan - 15 Feb 2021 | Additional lockdown payment | Third lockdown
16 Feb - 31 Mar 2021 |
|---|
| |
Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum |
Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) |
Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum |
Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum |
|
Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum |
| 1 - 15,000 |
£1,334.00 |
£857.57 |
£762.29 |
£2,001.00 |
£4,000 |
£2,096 |
| 15,001 - 50,999 |
£2,000.00 |
£1,285.71 |
£1,142.86 |
£3,000.00 |
£6,000 |
£3,143 |
| 51,000+ |
£3,000.00 |
£1,928.57 |
£1,714.29 |
£4,500.00 |
£9,000 |
£4,714 |
What grants are available?
National lockdown from 5 January 2021
Grants during national lockdown 5 January 2021 to 31 March 2021
Grants for businesses that have been forced to close during the national lockdown that started Tuesday 5 January 2021.
These grants are based on the rateable value of the business:
5 January to 15 February 2021
- £2,001 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or less
- £3,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £4,500 for businesses with a rateable value over £51,000
16 February to 31 March 2021
- £2,096 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or less
- £3,143 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £4,714 for businesses with a rateable value over £51,000
One-off lockdown payment
Businesses receiving Local Restrictions Support Grants will also receive:
- £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.
How we are paying grants for the period 5 January to 31 March
You do not need to reapply if you have received or applied for a Local Restrictions Grant (the November lockdown grant or Tier grant) - we will be in contact with you to confirm payment or request more information.
You do not need to apply separately for the one-off top-up grants. These will be paid at the same time as the lockdown grant for the 5 January to 15 February.
If you have a business rates account and your business has been forced to close but you haven't yet applied for a grant, please apply now.
Tier restrictions from 2 December 2020 to 4 January 2021
Businesses that were forced to close during the tier restrictions can get a grant for every 14-day period they were forced to close:
- £667 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £1,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £1,500 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.
Businesses classed as hospitality, hotels, bed & breakfasts, tourism, leisure, event organisers or language schools that were allowed to remain open during Tier 3 restrictions (2 December to 19 December 2020) but were significantly affected by the restrictions can apply for a discretionary grant for every 14 day-period they were affected by the Tier 3 restrictions:
- £467 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £700 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £1,050 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.
How we are paying grants for the period 2 December to 4 January
If you haven’t already applied for or received a grant payment for the national lockdown period 5 November to 1 December 2020, please apply.
You do not need to apply if you have received or applied for either of the November lockdown grants. We will be in contact with you to confirm payment or request more information.
National lockdown 5 November to 1 December 2020
The grant scheme for businesses that were forced to close due to the national restrictions from 5 November to 1 December 2020 is called the Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum.
To be eligible for this grant, your business property must fall under one of the categories on the government’s list of businesses forced to close. Please note that if the majority of your business was forced to close but you were operating a takeaway or click and collect service, you may still be eligible for a grant.
Although some businesses were allowed to resume trading from 2 December (previously 3 December), businesses that are eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant will receive a grant for payment to cover the period from 5 November up to and including 1 December inclusive. If you reopened on 2 December 2020, you will still be eligible for support from this scheme.
Apply for a Local Restrictions Support grant »
Businesses which have been unable to reopen since 23 March 2020
The government is also providing support to business properties which have been unable to reopen since 23 March 2020 due to national restrictions. Such businesses will be able to get a grant payment to cover the period 1-4 November 2020, prior to the national lockdown on 5 November. From 5 November 2020, these businesses will be eligible for a national business support grant (Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) addendum) as above.
Apply for a grant if your business has been unable to open since 23 March »
Contact the Business Rates team
We have received a large number of grant applications and we're working through them in date order. We have significantly increased our resource and are working as quickly as we can. Please bear with us.
If you need to contact us, please email the Business Rates Team at businesscashgrants@dover.gov.uk
Further information
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