As well as a number of government schemes, further funding is now available for small and medium-sized businesses in Berkshire who have been affected by coronavirus.
Below we go into more detail about these schemes. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
Kickstart Tourism and Restart and Recovery SME Grants
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), eligible SMEs can access grants of between £1,000 and £3,000. This can be used to finance specialist advice or equipment and technology and in exceptional circumstances, can be extended up to £5,000.
This funding aims to support small and medium-sized businesses so they can respond to the immediate challenges they face. It will also enable them to adapt, diversify or repurpose in order to strengthen their capacity to recover from COVID-19.
This grant funding scheme is being delivered by Exemplas Ltd on behalf of Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). It will open on Monday 30th November 2020 and will be open for one week, closing for full applications (and your accompanying quote) by 23:59 on Monday 7thDecember 2020.
Please note that funding is limited and a high volume of applications are expected. Please review the eligibility criteria, pre-application information and FAQs on the Berkshire Business Hub website to ensure your application has the best chance of being successful.
Eligible and fully completed applications will be assessed in the order they’re received so once you’ve done all your checks, it’s a good idea to apply as soon as possible. You can find out more about this scheme in our story.
Additional grant schemes
There are a number of additional government grant schemes available to businesses to help them get through these difficult times.
Local Restrictions Support Grant
The LRSG (Closed Addendum) supports businesses in England which have been forced to close due to the national restrictions imposed between 5 November and 2 December 2020. Eligible businesses may be entitled to a cash grant from their local council for each 28-day period under national restrictions. The grant will be based on the rateable value of the property on the first full day of restrictions.
To check your eligibility and apply, you can visit your local council’s website:
- Bracknell Forest Council
- Reading Borough Council
- Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
- Slough Borough Council
- West Berkshire Council
- Wokingham Borough Council
Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)
The Additional Restrictions Grant supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes or where additional funding is needed. The scheme provides local councils with grant funding to support closed businesses that do not directly pay business rates as well as businesses that do not have to close but which are impacted. To check your eligibility and for more details, click here, and visit your local council’s website to find out when and how to apply.
Need advice?
If you have questions about any of the schemes discussed or would like help with the application process, please get in touch with PKB Accountants. You can also find out more about the free support available from the Berkshire Business Growth Hub in our story.
To read news and blogs from Rebecca Austin, click here >>
