Covid grants still on offer for hospitality and tourism
© Harvey Hudson/Adobe Stock Farmers with leisure and hospitality businesses are being reminded that they still have time to claim Covid-19 support grants.
The government has said that £850m worth of grants are available to businesses in England and is encouraging them to apply.
The funding is made up of £556m available through the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme, which launched in January 2022.
See also: Additional Covid-19 support grants could help farm businesses
A further £294m is available through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme which has been paying out funding since November 2020.
The OHLG scheme provides local councils with one-off grant funding to support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses.
To be eligible, businesses must be on the business rates list held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), with the grant increasing as the rateable value increases as follows:
OHLG scheme grant increases |
|
| Rateable value | Grant |
| £15,000 or under | £2,667 |
| £15,001 but less than £51,000 | £4,000 |
| £51,000 and over | £6,000 |
Most councils should already have emailed those businesses it feels will meet the OHLG eligibility criteria.
The deadline for applications differs between local authorities, but with some having a cut-off this month, potential applicants in some regions may need to act very quickly.
The ARG supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes or where additional funding is needed.
Local councils can use ARG funding at their own discretion.