COVID-19 Business Support and Guidance

Financial support for businesses - 'Restart Grants' 

The Restart Grant scheme has been closed with effect from the 30th June 2021. St Albans City and District Council have paid out £6.2M in Restart Grants to 740 Local Businesses. If you have applied for a Restart Grant and have yet to receive payment we may be waiting for further information from you, such as bank statements or a State Aid declaration. Please check your e-mails for any outstanding correspondence. You must provide us with the information we need to assess your application by the end of July 2021. 

Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme - 'Round 2' 

As part of our continuing response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, St Albans is operating a further Discretionary Grant scheme to support local businesses for the period from 1st of April 2021 to the 18th of July 2021, this being the date when the majority of national restrictions were brought to an end. 

We only have limited funds to allocate and for this reason we will only be accepting applications from the business types listed below. These are business types which have been identified as most likely to have been severely impacted by Coronavirus Restrictions for the aforementioned period. Please do not submit an application if you do not operate within the sectors listed below:
 

• Travel Agents / Tour Operators. 
• Hotels and visitor accommodation.
• Kennels / Catteries.
• Indoor hospitality / leisure (for example nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, venues, soft play areas).
• English Language Schools.
• Flexible workspaces and similar.
• Wedding and Event Industries and suppliers to these sectors.
• Freelance and mobile businesses concerned with wedding and hospitality events.
• Restaurants and Pubs (especially those unable to open during the period of restrictions from the 12th of April to the 16th of May).

If demand on this grant scheme is less than anticipated, we may be able to extend support to other business types. Please keep checking our website for updates. 

For further information and to make an application, please click on the link on the right.  

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. E-mails from the Council should come from businessrates@stalbans.gov.uk / discretionarybusinessgrants@stalbans.gov.uk 

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