Local Restrictions Support Grants scheme extended

If you have already received a Local Restrictions Support Grant due to Tier 3 or national lockdown restrictions in November you do not need to reapply if you are affected by the Tier 4 restrictions from 31 December 2020 or the national lockdown from 4 January 2021. We intend to use your original application to pay any future grants you are due.

The government has announced an extra £1000 Christmas grant for pubs which predominantly serve alcohol rather than food. Further details are available at Christmas Support Payments for wet-led pubs.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Local Restrictions Support Grants

This page was last updated on 5 January 2021

Local Restrictions Support Grants provide financial help to businesses affected by local and national lockdowns. Grants are available if your business has been affected by one or more of the following.

Restrictions on socialising (Tier 2), from 5 August 2020

Affecting businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors, hotels and bed and breakfasts. Eligible businesses must have remained open during these restrictions.

Local COVID Alert Level: Very High (Tier 3), from 23 October 2020 until 4 November 2020

Businesses required to close from 23 October 2020. These include pubs, bars, casinos, adult gaming establishments, betting shops and soft play centres.

National lockdown restrictions from 5 November 2020 until 1 December 2020

Businesses required to close from 5 November 2020. These include the business affected by the previous Tier 3 restrictions as well as all non-essential retail, hospitality venues, accommodation, leisure and sports facilities, entertainment venues, personal care facilities, community centres and places of worship.

Local COVID Alert Level: Very high (Tier 3), from 2 December 2020

Businesses required to remain closed from 2 December 2020. We are awaiting guidance on which businesses will be affected by these restrictions.

National lockdown restrictions from 23 March 2020

Special consideration can be given to businesses required to close from 23 March 2020 due to national restrictions and which have never been allowed to reopen, such as nightclubs. Grant payments are available for these businesses from 1 November and cannot be backdated.

Who is eligible?

In addition to falling into one of the groups listed above all of the following have to apply:

you were liable for business rates for the premises on the day the lockdown restrictions were imposed
your business was open as usual and providing in-person services to customers from your business premises prior to the lockdown
your business was not in administration, insolvent or subject to a striking-off notice
if you have been required to close you are planning to reopen after the lockdown period ends

If your business provides an alternative service during lockdown, such as a restaurant or pub providing takeaway-only meals you will still be eligible as you have been required to close the part of your business that provides its main service.

Grant payments

The level of the grant will depend whether your business was open or closed and the rateable value of your business premises:

Grants for businesses affected from 5 August 2020
Rateable value	Grants paid per four week period
£15,000 or less	£934
£15,001and less than £51,000	£1,400
£51,000 or greater	£2,100

Grants for businesses which closed from either 23 October 2020 or 5 November 2020
Rateable value	Grants paid per two week period
£15,000 or less	£667
£15,001and less than £51,000	£1,000
£51,000 or greater	£1,500

You can find the rateable value of your premises on your latest business rates bill, or at Gov.uk - Find your business rates valuation.

How to apply

Fill out the form below.

You will only need to make one application for Local Restrictions Support Grants, from the earliest date your business was affected. We will continue to make grant payments every 14 days, so long as you are still eligible. You do not need to reapply every fortnight.

If you have more than one business premises you will need to make a separate application for each property.

You will need to provide

your business rates account number (this can be found on your most recent business rates bill)
a copy of the latest statement for your bank account showing the name of your business or the business rates payer

Apply for a Local Restrictions Support Grant

What happens next?

We will use the information you provide to determine eligibility for grant payments to support your businesses through future lockdown restrictions. We update this page to confirm who will be eligible as lockdown restrictions change.

State Aid restrictions

European Union laws restrict the amount of state funding businesses can receive. This includes government grants, loans or tax reductions. Local Restrictions Support Grants count towards your state aid allocation.

Whilst the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 there is a transition period until the end of 2020, while the UK and EU negotiate additional arrangements. The EU state aid rules continue to apply during the transition period.

For businesses eligible for a Local Restrictions Support Grant the state aid limit is:

€200,000 received over a 3 year period which covers the current financial year, running from April 2020 to March 2021, and the two preceding financial years, plus
€800,000 received over the period March 2020 to December 2020

Further information about what constitutes state aid can be found at Gov.uk - State Aid guidance.