Your business may be eligible if it:

• occupies property on which it pays business rates to Lancaster City Council (if you are in receipt of business rates relief you are also eligible)
• was required to close on or after Saturday 17 October 2020 due to Lancashire-wide Tier 3 restrictions. Retrospective funding is not available before this date
• has been subject to national restrictions since 23 March 2020 and as such has never been allowed to reopen e.g. nightclubs, sexual entertainment venues
• has been required to close because of the national restrictions that resulted in a first full day of closure on Thursday 5 November 2020 or Tier 4/national restrictions that resulted in closure on 31 December 2020 or 5 January 2021
• has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises e.g. a restaurant that has had to close its substantive business, but is providing a takeaway service, is deemed to be closed

The government has published guidance on the requirement to close premises and businesses (PDF).

Businesses that have substantially altered their business model in order to trade should enquire with Business Support at business.support@lancaster.gov.uk as to whether their original business model remains their substantive business.

Your business will not be eligible if it:

• has been able to continue to operate during the lockdown because it does not depend on providing direct in-person services from its premises
• has chosen to close
• has reached the subsidy award limit (previously State Aid). Including this award the ratepayer will not receive more than i) the equivalent of 325,000 Special Drawing Rights over any period of three fiscal years plus ii) a maximum of £1,600,000 in Covid-19 Business Grant Allowance plus iii) a maximum of £9,000,000 towards uncovered fixed costs in Covid-19 Business Grant Special Allowance. Grants under these allowances can be combined for a potential maximum allowance of £10,925,000 (subject to exchange rates).
• was in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice was made on the date of the first full day of the local restrictions
• is in areas outside the scope of the localised restrictions, as defined by the government

Eligible businesses will receive one grant for each property liable for business rates with Lancaster City Council.

• If your business is eligible and has a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, you will receive grants of £667 per two weeks of enforced closure (£1,334 per month/4 weeks)
• If your business is eligible and has a property with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000, you will receive grants of £1,000 per two weeks of enforced closure (£2,000 per month/4 weeks)
• If your business is eligible and has a property with a rateable value of £51,000 or over, you will receive grants of £1,500 per two weeks of enforced closure (£3,000 per month/4 weeks)

Grants will be based on the rateable value of the property on the first full day of either local or national restrictions.

Lockdown Closed Grants (44-day payment) 16 February – 31 March 2021

• Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on the local rating list with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under on the date of the commencement of the widespread national restrictions will receive a payment of £2,096 per 44-day qualifying restriction period
• Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on the local rating list with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 on the date of the commencement of the widespread national restrictions will receive a payment of £3,143 per 44-day qualifying restriction period
• Businesses occupying hereditaments appearing on the local rating list with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above on the commencement date of the widespread national restrictions, will receive £4,714 per 44-day qualifying restriction period

• Eligible businesses will receive funding retrospectively for the time period that they were mandated to close
• Businesses eligible for the Closed lockdown payments from 16 February – 31 March must apply by 31 May 2021

Businesses subject to mandated closure must have been closed for the entirety of the payment cycle.

Please note that businesses that have changed hands will only be eligible once a new set of restrictions come into force. For example, if the lease of a pub were taken over while we were in Tier 3, and we then moved into Tier 4, the new ratepayer would be eligible to receive a grant from the point that we went into Tier 4.

• Business Rates number

• One of the following:

  • Company Reference Number (CRN) - preferred
  • VAT Registration Number
  • Self-Assessment/Partnership Number
  • National Insurance Number
  • Unique Taxpayer Reference
  • Registered Charity Number

• Number of employees

  • 0-9 / 10-49 / 50-249 / 250+

• Bank details and most recent bank statement (for uploading)