South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) has asked the Parish Council to pass on the following information:
The council has launched an online form to help local businesses apply for small business and retail grants. The form and more details can be found on the SODC website.
The council is working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to understand the UK Government’s support for businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19. The Government’s package of measures to support businesses include:
- a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England
- grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
SODC is responsible for administering these programmes. Officers are working with BEIS to ensure the payment process adheres to the latest Government guidance. The businesses that are eligible for the grants and rates relief will be notified when the grants are ready to be distributed.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused distress to a lot of business owners and the council wants to do all it can to support them. Officers are working hard to issue the grants as soon as possible and provide feedback to BEIS on specific issues raised by businesses in our districts.
For further advice and support, please visit the South and Vale Business Support website: https://www.svbs.co.uk/coronavirus-guidance-and-support/.
The quickest way for South and Vale businesses to receive information about the latest government support is to sign up to receive the newsletter at www.svbs.co.uk.
