Businesses in England required to close due to local lockdowns or targeted restrictions will now be able to receive grants worth up to £1,500 every three weeks, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay told MPs today. To be eligible for the grant, a business must have been required to close due to local Covid 19 restrictions. The largest businesses will receive £1,500 every three weeks they are required to close. Smaller businesses will receive £1,000.
Payments are triggered by a national decision to close businesses in a high incidence area. Each payment will be made for a 3 week lockdown period. Each new 3 week lockdown period triggers an additional payment.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay said:
These grants provide businesses with a safety net as they temporarily close their doors to help save lives in their local areas.
As local economies eventually and carefully re-open after local interventions, our Plan for Jobs is there waiting to help businesses get back on their feet, protect jobs and thrive in the future.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:
No business should be punished for doing the right thing, which is why today’s package will offer additional breathing space for businesses that have had to temporarily close to control the virus.
Through our wider Plan for Jobs, we will continue to back our innovators and job creators across the country who are playing a critical role as we build back better from the pandemic.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Barclay also reiterated the recent commitment to roll-out additional payments for people on low incomes who are required to self-isolate in areas with high levels of Covid-19.
Currently these payments are available in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, and Oldham as part of an ongoing trial scheme.
This targeted support is in addition to businesses eligibility for the Government’s existing schemes of support to businesses which remain available to impacted companies. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has supported the wages of 9.6 million people so far, government backed loans and business grants worth up to £25,000 per property.
This help will also support local jobs dependent on impacted businesses, complementing the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs.
Other measures announced to protect, support and create jobs include the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, cutting VAT for tourism and hospitality by 15%, a £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, which has opened for applications, and an £8.8 billion investment in new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects.
