York Council Enhance and Extend ‘Micro Grants Scheme’

The Government is providing additional funding for local authorities to support small businesses (with high fixed property-related costs) that aren’t eligible for other ‘Small Business Grants’ or ‘Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants. Up to £617 million has been made available across the country.

Some national criteria has been set, but local authorities can determine which cases to support, within those criteria. In York we’re using the government’s ‘discretionary grant fund’ to enhance and extend our established micro grants scheme capped at £10,000.

Eligible businesses
Small businesses – classified as having:

• a turnover of not more than £10.2 million
• a balance sheet total of not more than £5.1 million
• less than 50 employees

You must provide evidence which meets the following criteria for your business to qualify for an ‘extended Micro-Business Grant’:

• have ongoing fixed building-related costs
• have been trading since before 11 March
• be able to demonstrate a significant fall in income due to the coronavirus outbreak
• have a rateable value or mortgage of below £51,000
• not qualify for any other government COVID-19 grant or relief scheme

If you’re self-employed, with fixed property costs, you may qualify – but not if you’ve already received a Micro-Business Grant from us.

Some examples of the types of businesses which may be eligible:

• small businesses in shared offices or other flexible work spaces like industrial parks, science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment
• regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment
• B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates
• charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief
• nurseries (childcare) which have not qualified for other government grants

Businesses that are not eligible
Businesses will not be eligible for an extended Micro-Business Grant if they:

• are in administration, are insolvent or where a Striking-Off Notice has been mad
• have more than 50 employees
• have received any of the following

1. Small Business Grant Fund
2. Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant
3. The Fisheries Response Fund
4. Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme (DSSS)
5. The Zoos Support Fund
6. The Dairy Hardship Fund

Grants available in the enhanced scheme

Different grant amounts are available as follows:

• £10,000 for small businesses
• £10,000 for nurseries (childcare)
• £5,000 for micro businesses (under 10 employees)
• £2,500 for B&Bs and market traders who live in York with no business rate assessment

Grant payments
We’ll make grant payments within 3 weeks of submitting your application if you’re eligible, depending on:

• the volume of applications
• the amount of additional checking and verification required

Preparing your application
We expect a large number of applications for this scheme, and will be issuing them on a first-come, first-served basis.

To help you prepare your application, here are examples of some of the documents we can accept as evidence to prove your eligibility:

• latest annual accounts (both audited and management accounts)
• cash-flow projection
• payroll/PAYE records to evidence employee numbers
• lease/rental agreement, signed mortgage agreement
• utility bill, other bill/invoice
• buildings insurance (evidencing property costs, if not liable for business rates)
• evidence of trading on or before 11 March 2020
• other relevant information, helpful towards this application being processed
• If we’re unable to verify your eligibility, we’ll be unable to process your application.

Note: You’ll need to write your business name exactly as it appears on other official forms, such as your:

• bank account
• HMRC registration

This kind of misinformation has been one of the main causes of delays to payments of business grants across the UK.

Apply for an extended Micro-Business Grant