COVID-19 Business Support and Guidance

Further financial support for businesses - 'Restart Grants' 

The Government have recently announced further financial support for businesses from April 2021 to help them to re-open safely. These non-repayable grants are entitled 'restart grants' and replace the previous Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) schemes.  

Non-essential retail premises (such as shops) that are rated for Business Rates can receive a one-off payment of up to £6,000 as described below. 

• Business with a Rateable Value of £15k or under as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £2,667. 
• Business with a Rateable Value between £15K and £51K as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £4,000. 
• Business with a Rateable Value of £51K or over as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £6,000.  

Hospitality (such as pubs and restaurants), Accommodation, Leisure, Personal Care (such as hairdressers and beauticians) and Gym business premises that are rated for Business Rates can receive a one-off payment of up to £18,000 as described below. 

• Business with a Rateable Value of £15k or under as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £8,000. 
• Business with a Rateable Value between £15K and £51K as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £12,000. 
• Business with a Rateable Value of £51K or over as at the 1st of April 2021 will receive a one-off payment of £18,000. 

It will be necessary for business to apply for these grants, even if they have previously received grants from the Local Authority.  Please use the link on the right to submit an application for a Restart Grant. Applications must be made by the 30th June 2021. 

St Albans City and District Council is committed to getting these payments to eligible businesses as quickly as possible. However, unlike previous grants schemes we are now required to carry out various anti-fraud checks prior to making payment. This may delay the process slightly and we would appreciate your patience and understanding. In some cases it may be necessary for businesses to provide us with bank statements from a bank account linked to the business. 

Discretionary Support Grants - Local Restrictions (Open) Support and Additional Restrictions Grant schemes 

These schemes are now closed. St Albans City and District Council have received over 1500 applications for Discretionary Support and have paid out in excess of £4.2M to over 800 Local Businesses. This is 100% of the money initially allocated to the Council to distribute. 

Businesses that have been awarded support should have received funding up to the 31st of March 2021. 

Whether there will be further funding available for businesses who have yet to receive payment or those that continue to be impacted by Covid-19 and National / Local Restrictions will depend on if we receive further grant funding from Central Government. If we do receive further funding shortly, a decision will be made on whether it will be necessary for businesses to re-apply for funding from April onwards. Please check checking this page for updates.
 
Please note - we have been made aware of a number of 'scams' in circulation relating to grants and other financial support. Please be careful if you receive a phone call or an e-mail requesting bank details or asking for other personal information. If you believe someone has claimed or received a grant they are not entitled to, please e-mail as much detail as possible to fraud@stalbans.gov.uk