An update on Tier 3 and Lockdown Business Grants from Plymouth City Council

Plymouth City Council has been given a further £20.3 million to distribute in grants to support businesses during the third national lockdown.

They are working hard to get this money out as quickly as possible and to make the process simple for businesses.

Grants are currently available for businesses that pay business rates and are legally required to close during Tier 3 and the national lockdown. If you do not meet these requirements you may be eligible for discretionary funding and more information about this will be available soon.

If you have already applied for the November lockdown grant (LRSG Closed), you do not need to reapply. You will receive a confirmation email from Plymouth City Council this week detailing the amount of your grant payment, the scheme that your grant is from and the expected payment date.

They have received applications from approximately 60 per cent of eligible businesses, which means around 40 per cent of eligible Plymouth businesses have not applied. If you haven’t already, we would urge you to complete an application as soon as possible. Please note that they are only able to automatically pay those who successfully applied for the second November lockdown grant. This does not include businesses that received grants during the first national lockdown if they have not applied for the second lockdown funding.

If you have not applied for the November lockdown grant , you will need to complete an application form on the Council website. You will then receive  all the funding you are eligible for.

What grants are available?

Tier 3

Plymouth was in Tier 3 for five days and eligible businesses are entitled to a pro-rata payment for this period.

Lockdown business grants

Plymouth, along with the rest of the country, entered a national lockdown on 5 January 2021. Businesses required to close and which pay business rates are eligible for the following financial support:

Local Restrictions Grant Scheme (Closed) addendum:

Eligible businesses required to close due to the national lockdown will be entitled to receive the following grants to cover the entire 42 day initial lockdown period (5 January to 15 February) :

• £2,001 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £3,000 for  businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £4,500 for businesses with a rateable value over £51,000

Closed Business Lockdown Payment:

This is a one-off payment for eligible rate paying businesses that have been required to close by the Government.  Payments are calculated based on rateable value:

• £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value over £51,000

Additional Restrictions Grant:

If you are not eligible for the above schemes, you may be entitled to discretionary funding.

Applications for the Additional Restrictions Grant covering the November lockdown will be closing on Thursday 21 January and all existing applications will be processed.

A new discretionary scheme will be launched in the coming weeks, with updated eligibility criteria, more details will be shared as soon as possible.

For businesses who haven’t previously applied for grant support:

If you pay business rates and were legally required to close during the November lockdown but have not yet applied for your November grant, you will not receive automatic payment of the new grants.

Please complete the application form on the Plymouth City Council website as soon as possible.

Applications for the LRSG Closed and Closed Business Lockdown Payment scheme will close on 31 March 2021, with final payments being made by 30 April 2021.

If you believe you are eligible and have applied for a November LRSG grant but do not receive an email from Plymouth City Council by Thursday 21 January to confirm an automatic payment please email business.grants@plymouth.gov.uk or call the helpline on 01752 308984 which will be open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For further information head to the Invest Plymouth website