Discretionary Grants update to include businesses based at home

August 26, 2020

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have now opened the scheme up to businesses based at home, that have no commercial mortgage and have not benefited from any previous COVID-19 grant.

Applicants will still have to evidence business expenses such as utility bills and IT costs, through bank statements, HMRC/VAT registration certificates or letters from the tax offices.

They will have to show some loss of earnings/reduction in orders, evidenced through balance sheets, profit and loss statements or similar and they are required to have:

• less than 50 employees
• have been trading on 11th March 2020
• occupy a property, or part of a property, with a ratable value or annual rent or annual mortgage payments below £59,999 in the case of those businesses who are not based in a residential location.

Businesses do not have to provide all the documents listed above but enough for the Business Rates team to be sure it is a genuine claim: all fraudulent claims will be passed to the fraud department.

In line with the Government defined timescales for the allocation of grants, businesses must apply by close of business on Friday 28 August when all COVID-19 grants close.

To see the full criteria for application and to apply please see this page: https://www.southend.gov.uk/businesscorona

In line with the Government defined timescales for the allocation of grants, businesses must apply by midnight on Friday 28 August when all COVID-19 grants close, so if you meet all of the criteria listed above, please make an application as soon as possible.

If you have previously made an application to the Discretionary Grant fund but been unsuccessful we will be reviewing these applications and awarding where the new criteria allows. You do not need to re-apply.