Restart grant scheme

Hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses

Rateable value	Grant available
£15,000 or under	£8,000
£15,001 to £51,000	£12,000
£51,000 +	£18,000

Non-essential retail businesses

Rateable value	Grant available
£15,000 or under	£2,667
£15,001 to £51,000	£4,000
£51,000 +	£6,000

Restart grants for non-essential retail businesses in England will be allocated based on the rateable value of a property. Premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will be entitled to £2,667, those with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 will be allowed £4,000, and £6,000 will be made available to properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over.

For the purposes of this scheme, a non-essential retail business can be defined as a business that is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services by the public, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public.

Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses offering in-person non-essential retail to the general public
• Businesses that were likely to have been required to cease their retail operation in the January 2021 lockdown
• Businesses that had retail services restricted during January lockdown
• Businesses that sell directly to consumers

For these purposes the definition of a non-essential retail business should exclude:

Food retailers, including food markets, supermarkets, convenience stores, corners shops, off licences, breweries, pharmacies, chemists, newsagents, animal rescue centres and boarding facilities, building merchants, petrol stations, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, taxi and vehicle hire businesses, education providers including tutoring services, banks, building societies and other financial providers, post offices, funeral directors, laundrettes and dry cleaners, medical practices, veterinary surgeries and pet shops, agricultural supply shops, garden centres, storage and distribution facilities, wholesalers, employment agencies and businesses, office buildings, automatic car washes and mobility support shops.

Restart grants for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England will be allocated based on the rateable value of a property. Premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will be entitled to £8,000, those with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 will be allowed £12,000, and £18,000 will be made available to properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over.

Hospitality

For the purposes of this scheme, a hospitality business can be defined as a business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink.

Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses offering in-person food and drink services to the general public
• Businesses that provide food and/or drink to be consumed on the premises, including outdoors

For these purposes the definition of a hospitality retail business should exclude:

Food kiosks and businesses whose main service is a takeaway (not applicable to those that have adapted to offer takeaways during periods of restrictions, in alignment with previous COVID-19 business grant schemes).

---

Leisure

For the purposes of this scheme, a leisure business can be defined as a business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events and days and nights out. Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses that may provide in-person intangible experiences in addition to goods
• Businesses that may rely on seasonal labour
• Businesses that may assume particular public safety responsibilities
• Businesses that may operate with irregular hours through day, night and weekends

For these purposes, the definition of a leisure business should exclude: all retail businesses, coach tour operators, tour operators and telescopes.

---

Accommodation

For the purposes of this scheme, an accommodation business can be defined as a business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes.

Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses that provide accommodation for ‘away from home’ stays for work or leisure purposes
• Businesses that provide accommodation for short-term leisure and holiday purposes

For these purposes, the definition of an accommodation business should exclude:

Private dwellings, education accommodation, residential homes, care homes, residential family centres, beach huts.

---

Gym and sports

For the purposes of this scheme, a gym and sport business can be defined as a commercial or non-profit establishment where physical exercise or training is conducted on an individual basis or group basis, using exercise equipment or open floor space with or without instruction, or where individual and group sporting, athletic and physical activities are participated in competitively or recreationally.

Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses that offer in-person exercise and sport activities to the general public
• Businesses that open to members of the public paying an entry or membership fee
• Businesses that require extensive cleaning protocols, which significantly slow down trade
• Businesses that offer exercise classes or activities, which may mandate space and no masks etc

For these purposes, the definition of a gym and sport business should exclude:

Home gyms, home exercise studios, home sports courts and home sports grounds.

---

Personal care

 For the purposes of this scheme, a personal care business can be defined as a business which provides a service, treatment or activity for the purposes of personal beauty, hair, grooming, body care and aesthetics, and wellbeing.

Local Authorities may use the following criteria to assess whether a business is eligible for a grant under this threshold:

• Businesses that deliver in-person holistic, beauty and hair treatments
• Businesses that provide services such as tattoos and piercings
• Businesses that offer close-contact services, which are required to deliver the treatment
• Businesses that offer services, treatments or activities that require social distancing and cleaning protocols, which have led to a reduction in their capacity to deliver personal care services

For these purposes, the definition of a personal care business should exclude:

Businesses that only provide personal care goods, rather than services; businesses used solely as training centres for staff, apprentices and others; businesses providing dental services, opticians, audiology services, chiropody, chiropractors, osteopaths and other medical or health services, including services which incorporate personal care services, treatments required by those with disabilities and services relating to mental health.

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). These grants count towards subsidy awards as set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Payments count towards the total de minimis subsidy award allowed over a three-year period of SDR 325,000 (circa £350,000).
• 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/was in areas outside the scope of the localised restrictions, as defined by the government