Restrictions Business Fund
Expansion to the DISCRETIONARY GRANT
The Discretionary grant is to support eligible businesses who don’t qualify for the Non Domestic Rates grant and who have been directly impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19 in December by the Welsh Government.
The scheme now covers Businesses affected by the restrictions put in place on the 4th December (affecting hospitality, tourism and leisure sector) and now also includes those businesses (not in hospitality, tourism, leisure) affected by the tighter restrictions put in place on the 19thDecember – including close contact services.
Hospitality, tourism and leisure sector businesses who have already applied for the restrictions discretionary fund will not be able to re-apply.
The application form can be found here https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/service/covid-19-support-businesses/restrictions-business-fund scroll down to the second green ‘apply now’ button.
The grant value of £2,000 will remain unchanged.
The updated guidance notes (to reflect the above expansion of eligible sectors) have not yet been uploaded to the website, but the eligibility criteria is more or less the same as previously and is outlined below.
Businesses that meet the following criteria may be eligible for the grant:
Business was trading prior to 1st September 2020
Businesses must be operating in Wales
Businesses must have one or more of the following
HMRC Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) Number
VAT Registration Number or a VAT exemption certificate (if applicable)
Company Registration Number (if applicable)
Hackney carriage license number or private minicab licence number (if applicable)
Business has been forced to close or has experienced a drop in turnover of >40% as a direct result of the restrictions introduced in Wales
Limited company with a turnover of between £10,000 and £50,000
Sole traders / partnerships with a turnover less than £85,000
The business must be your main source of income (>50%)
Supported businesses must aim to maintain employment for 12 months
Only one application per business
Businesses should be actively trading up to the 4th December when the new restrictions were introduced in Wales and may be required to provide evidence to demonstrate this
Businesses that are eligible for the Restrictions Business Fund NDR Grant are not eligible for this discretionary grant.
Businesses eligible for the ERF Sector Specific Support Grant are ineligible for this discretionary grant.
Please note this grant is to cover the months of December and January – if further restrictions are introduced following the end of January we will wait for guidance from Welsh Government and let you know if further grants become available.
For further clarification on this grant please read the guidance notes and if you need additional support please contact business@wrexham.gov.uk
ERF Sector Specific Grant opens next week
The ERF Sector Specific Support (operating cost) package is targeted at Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure businesses and associated supply chain businesses that will be materially impacted by a greater than 60% impact of turnover as a result of the restrictions introduced on 4 December 2020 until the 22 January 2021.
The fund seeks to compliment other COVID-19 response measures to support businesses, social enterprises and charitable organisations in Wales.
You can use the eligibility checker tool to check your eligibility for the COVID-19 ERF Sector Specific Grant.
The Sector Specific Grant applications will open sometime during the week commencing 11 January 2021 and remain open for 2 weeks or until funds are fully committed. Please look out for an announcement from Welsh Government on when the online forms will actually become available and applications can be submitted.
Use the Eligibility Checker now to review the criteria prior to its opening.
The guidance notes for this grant should be available in the next day or so and will be accessible on the Business Wales website. Please take the time to read through the guidance and notes and ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and have all the required information to hand before submitting an application.