Business support during the coronavirus outbreak
Apply for grant funding, find advice and get support for your business.
Government support
The government has made a full range of business support measures available to UK businesses and employees.
- Coronavirus business interruption loan scheme
- Claim for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- Coronavirus job retention scheme
- Self employment income support scheme
- Coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme
- Business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure
- Cash grants for retail, hospitality and leisure
- Small business grant funding
- Statutory sick pay rebate
- Support for businesses paying tax
- COVID-19 corporate financing facility
- Business rates holiday for nurseries
- VAT deferral
- Deferral of self-assessment payment
- Coronavirus Future Fund
- Digital skills training for furloughed workers
- Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan scheme
Business support finder
The government have launched a new tool to help you find coronavirus financial support for your business. You may be eligible for loans, tax relief and cash grants; this support finder will help you to see what support is available for you and your business.
Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS)
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) is a new scheme designed to enable businesses to access finance more quickly during the coronavirus outbreak.
Support for self employed people
If you're self-employed or a member of a partnership in the UK and have lost income due to coronavirus (COVID-19) there there is funding and information available to support you.
Schemes available though the council
Through us, the government has made two grants available to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. Additionally, some businesses are entitled to a bushiness rates holiday.
Small business, retail, hospitality and leisure grants fund
There are two grant funding schemes:
- £10,000 under the Small Business Grant Fund
- Either £10,000 or £25,000 under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund
Local authority discretionary grant fund
We are still waiting for more details from the government about the newly announced discretionary grant scheme. An overview of the scheme and some general guidance has been provided by the government.
Further information will be published on our web pages as soon as it is available. In the meantime, please do not complete the small business grant form as this will cause a delay in processing claims.
Business rates relief
Retail rates relief
Businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors will pay no business rates in 2020-21.
You could qualify for retail discount if your business is a:
- Shop
- Restaurant, café, bar or pub
- Cinema or music venue
- Hospitality or leisure business - for example, a gym, a spa, a casino or a hotel
Relief for child care providers
Nurseries will not have to pay businesses rates for one year commencing April 2020.
Contact us to find out if you're eligible or you can your check eligibility for the retail, hospitality and leisure scheme and eligibility for the nursery scheme on the government website.
If you're eligible, you could get 100% off your business rates bill for the 2020 to 2021 tax year (1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021).
You can get the retail discount on top of any other business rates relief you're eligible for.
You can view your business rates account by using our business rates online service. If you do not already have an account you can sign up today.
Loans, support and advice
The British Business Bank has a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs.
The Bank of England has launched a COVID Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans.
Because of coronavirus you may be able to delay (defer) some tax payments without paying a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The BEST Growth Hub has a wide range of advice and guidance available to help businesses and employers.
Guidance
► For health professionals, businesses, schools and other organisations on GOV.UK
► For food businesses on GOV.UK
