Additional Restriction Grants available for eligible businesses in Southend

February 11, 2021

After receiving an allocation of £3,662,500 by the Government to fund Additional Restrictions Grants, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have now opened the application process for eligible businesses to apply for this grant funding.

It is recognised locally that there are businesses that have been unable to access previous government funding, or which may now require further financial support. Therefore the council have been working with colleagues from the Southend-on-Sea Business Partnership, as well as other local businesses and support organisations, to co-produce an approach on how we can best distribute these grants.

The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) has been created to not only support several of the Government suggested priority sectors but also to support a wider number of local businesses that have received no Government financial support in Southend-on-Sea.

The areas this discretionary grant will cover are:

1. Businesses that have not received previous Government funding with a rateable value less than 15,000 will receive a grant of £2,000 and those with a rateable value of 15,001 and less than 50,999 will receive a grant of £3,000 
2. Arts and Creative Sector – grants up to £2,000 for businesses and freelancers in the creative and cultural sector and its supply chain
3. Inward Investment – business rates relief for new businesses locating to Southend
4. Extension of Tier 2 and Tier 3 grants to 15 February that ceased on 19 December 2020, when we moved into Tier 4 and then lockdown.

The council and businesses are keen to ensure that the Additional Restrictions Grants are given to the maximum number of businesses, but also needs to ensure not to exceed the government funding allocation. There will therefore be a 21-day application period.

The arts and creative sector has been particularly badly affected by COVID-19 and closure restrictions; this extends not only to venues but to businesses and freelancers in the sector and its supply chain. As such, an amount from the ARG grant will be allocated specifically for this sector. A separate application process will be coming for this element of the grant which will be administered by the Economic Development Team – further information will follow in due course for these businesses.

Like other grants, businesses applying are asked to ensure they have the following information to hand:

• Business Rates Account Number (if applicable)
• Company Number
• VAT Registration Number
• Date your business commenced trading at your address
• Bank details (Account name, sort code and account number)

Cllr Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for business, culture and tourism said: “The Additional Restriction Grants offer an opportunity for businesses who have so far been ineligible for other grant schemes to receive some funding.

“We are keen that as many businesses as possible apply for any money they are entitled to, however we have to make sure that the amount we have been allocated as a local authority is not exceeded. As such there is a 21 day window for application, which closes on 2 March 2021. Please ensure you apply as soon as possible if you are a business which qualifies for a payment. A separate allocation process will be communicated for the Arts and Creative sector, which have had a specific amount of grant funding allocated. Applicants should be aware that it can take up to 10 working days to process a grant; so please refrain from contacting the Business Rates team within this timeframe, as the team will be busy trying to process all relevant applications received.”