Coronavirus-info
COVID business grants - Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant - Applications now closed
On 21st December 2021 the government announced a new grant scheme to support businesses experiencing difficulties because of the Omicron variant, and the dual impact of staff absences and lower consumer demand.
The primary principle of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is to support businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premise, in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.
The following definitions apply:
Hospitality - A business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink. Businesses whose main income (greater than 50%) is from takeaway food and drink are ineligible.
Leisure - A business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, days and nights out, betting and gaming. This excludes all retail businesses, coach operators and tour operators, and gyms and sports businesses where physical exercise or training is conducted on an individual basis or group basis.
Accommodation - A business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes. This excludes domestic dwellings, education accommodation, residential care homes, residential family centres and beach huts.
The following table provides a list of businesses that meet the above definitions. This list is indicative of the types of businesses but is not exhaustive.
Support type |
Types of businesses |
|
Hospitality |
food courts |
roadside restaurants |
|
public houses/pub restaurants |
wine bars |
|
restaurants |
cafes |
Leisure |
casinos and gambling clubs |
arenas |
|
cinemas |
concert halls |
|
museums and art galleries |
tourist attractions |
|
stately homes & historic houses |
theme parks |
|
theatres |
amusement arcades |
|
zoos and safari parks |
soft play centres or areas |
|
amusement parks |
|
|
wedding venues |
clubs and institutions |
|
events venues |
village halls & scout huts |
|
night clubs and discotheques |
cadet huts |
Accommodation |
caravan parks |
holiday apartments |
|
caravan sites and pitches |
cottages or bungalows |
|
chalet parks |
campsites |
|
canal boats or other vessels |
boarding houses |
|
country house hotels |
coaching inns |
|
guest houses |
B&Bs |
|
hostels |
catered holiday homes |
|
hotels |
holiday homes |
|
lodges |
|
Grants are available to businesses trading on 30th December 2021 as follows:
- Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on council records and the local rating list with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will receive a payment of £2,667.
- Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on council records and the local rating list with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a payment of £4,000.
- Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on council records and the local rating list with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or over will receive a payment of £6,000.
A business will be ineligible for this grant, if:
It is in liquidation, dissolved, struck off or subject to a strike-off notice or under notice
It has reached the Business Grant Subsidy Allowance limit. You will be required to confirm under which subsidy allowance you are receiving the grant. The three subsidy categories are:
- Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance - You’re allowed up to £335,000 (subject to exchange rates) over any period of 3 years.
- COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance - You’re allowed up to £1,900,000.COVID-19 Business Grant Special Allowance - If you have reached your limits under the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and
- COVID-19 Business Grant Special Allowance, you may be able to access a further allowance of funding under these scheme rules of up to £10,000,000, provided certain conditions are met.
Further guidance on the Subsidy Allowance limit can be found here
Applications must be received by 18th March 2022.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Grant income received by the business is taxable. The Council notifies HMRC of all grants paid.
The information provided in this application may be shared with other government departments and private agencies for debt recovery and fraud prevention purposes. The Council’s privacy policy for Covid-19 Business Grants can be found here