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Covid 19 Grant And Financial Support For Businesses

SUPPORTING BUSINESS

We want to be able to support our local businesses as much as possible throughout the pandemic – and beyond. On this page, you can find about guidance and what support is on offer for businesses.

COVID-19 GRANT SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS

Please note, both Omicron grants schemes closed for applications on 18/03/22 -  No additional applications can be made

COVID-19 ADDITIONAL RELIEF FUND 

Eligible Wakefield businesses can now benefit from business rate relief as part of the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF).

This fund is available to support those businesses affected by the pandemic but that have been ineligible for existing Covid-19 support linked to business rate relief.

The CARF Scheme is now open and relief of 10% of the 2021/22 rates payable will be applied to eligible business rates account. Any surplus after applying the relief to their account will be refunded to the ratepayer.

The aim of the business rate relief is to support ratepayers who have been adversely affected by the pandemic and have been unable to adapt to that impact.

The types of businesses eligible will include office, warehouse and workshop based businesses as well as car parks, surgeries and veterinary practices.

However, Government rules mean that the new relief will not be eligible to be given to:

to ratepayers who for the same period of the relief are or would have been eligible for the Extended Retail Discount (covering the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors), the Nursery Discount, or the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme.

for premises (hereditament) for a period when it is unoccupied (except for those that have become closed temporarily due to the government’s advice on COVID -19).

If your business is eligible, you can make an application here.

To check your business eligibility, you can contact our Business Rates team via e mail at nndr@wakefield.gov.uk or by telephone on 01977 727121


Please note, all applications must be submitted by 31 May 2022.


OMICRON VARIANT BUSINESS GUIDANCE

Urgent work is ongoing internationally to fully understand the behaviour of this COVID-19 variant with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility.

Whilst this work takes place, the Government has taken precautionary action to protect us all from the spread of this new variant. These are:

Face coverings are compulsory in shops and on public transport

Contacts of people who have tested positive for the Omicron variant must self isolate.

All international arrivals must to take a Day 2 PCR test and self-isolate until they receive a negative test.

FACE COVERINGS

If you are a retail business you must ensure that your customers wear a face-covering (unless exempt) when visiting your premises.

You can download a face covering poster here

The new requirements apply to:

  • Shops and supermarkets (places which offer goods or service for retail sale or hire, this includes shops in larger premises such as a gift shop within a museum).
  • Shopping centres (malls and indoor markets).
  • Auction houses.
  • Post offices, banks, building societies, high-street solicitors and accountants, credit unions, short-term loan providers, savings clubs etc.
  • Premises providing personal care and beauty treatments (hair salons, barbers, nail salons, massage centres, tattoo and piercing studios).
  • Premises providing veterinary services.
  • Retail galleries.
  • Retail travel agencies.
  • Takeaways (without space for consumption of food or drink on premises as shops), aside from when eating and drinking.
  • Pharmacies.
  • Public transport (aeroplanes, trains, trams and buses).
  • Taxis and private hire vehicles.
  • Transport hubs (airports, rail and tram stations and terminals, maritime ports and terminals, bus and coach stations and terminals).

For further support about your business and the Omicron variant please contact info@wakefieldfirst.com

Please monitor the Councils Business Rates page here for further information

 

WHO CAN I TALK TO?

We would encourage you to read the information above, and keep checking back here and the Government website for more up to date information as this situation is constantly changing. If you still need to speak to a member of our team, please contact us on businesssupport@wakefield.gov.uk

Alternatively, contact one of our team directly here: 01924 306630.

Enquiry response timescales: We are receiving high volume enquires in relation to the Restart Grant, our business support team are working hard to support businesses resolve issues - please allow up to 5 working days for a member of our business support team to get back to you in response to your enquiry.