It is a difficult enough time as it is for many of our local businesses and the last thing any of them need at the moment is being forced to wait for financial support.
Several business owners in Herefordshire have been left frustrated with Herefordshire Council, due to the slowness in receiving the most recent COVID-19 grant that was announced when England went into a national lockdown in November.
Jonathan Jones (Victory Hereford & The Brickworks) said:
“Despite numerous emails to the council, we get no responses or excuses. The email account automatically sends an email stating that the council is receiving a high volume of emails. It has been nearly a month now and all they’re doing is fobbing people off.”
James Smith (Rubix Hereford) said:
“It’s bizarre how the first grant (when no systems were in place) came out in a couple of days, however this time, nothing & no correspondence!”
Local restrictions grant scheme
This scheme is different to the previous Small Business Grant / Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Grant Fund, as now eligible businesses are those with a business rated property that has been required to close due to the current national lockdown restrictions.
Businesses offering direct, in-person services that had reopened following the end of the first national lockdown but were then mandated to close in this current lockdown will be eligible and will be contacted. Bars, pubs, restaurants and shops required to close are still eligible for a grant if they chose to operate as a takeaway, click and collect or online with delivery services. The grant amount is linked to the businesses rateable value, as follows:-
- Rateable value of £15,000 or under – £1,334 grant
- Rateable value between £15,001 and £49,999 – £2,000 grant
- Rateable value of £51,000 or over – £3,000 grant
