Business Rates - Reductions, Exemptions and Discounts

Grants for businesses

BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANTS

Closed Lockdown Payment

The government has announced extra Support for Businesses which is in addition to the Local Restriction Support grants  - Chancellors Announcement January 2021 –

If you have received the LRSG (Closed) Addendum payment we have now automatically paid the top of grant of £4,000, £6,000 or £9,000 to you.

Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)

The application window is now closed and we are processing new applications as quickly as we can.

If you qualified for ARG in the November lockdown, we have reviewed your case and successful businesses have now been paid

Stroud District Council ARG Policy

Types of Grant

The table below sets out the various levels of Government restrictions from 1 November 2020 to 15 February 2021 along with the various grants payable to local businesses during the period.

Grant Amounts

The value of grants payable across the period is set out below:

For all government guidance, please click the link below:

Support For Business Guidance

Stroud Local Restrictions Support Grants

All businesses that wish to claim will have to complete the secure online form by clicking on the link below. 

Online Form

All applications will be validated and a determination made as to whether the business is eligible for a grant and how much. Payment will be made as soon as practical after the assessment has been made.

The government will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud and any business caught falsifying their statements or evidence to gain grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be subject to claw back, as may any grants paid in error.

Christmas Support Payment Stroud Local Restriction Support Grant for wet-led pubs

We have now received guidance from central government regarding the new £1000 support payment for wet-led pubs, please see the link below for details.  We have contacted all business that we feel maybe eligible for this payment, inviting them to make and application for this grant.  If you feel you maybe eligible but have not received and invitation to apply, please contact us as a matter of urgency by email to business.rates@stroud.gov.uk

Christmas Support Payment for wet-led pubs

The closing date for applications against this scheme was the 28th February 2021, we are therefore no longer able to accept new applications for this scheme.

Financial Support For Businesses During Coronavirus

Extra protection for businesses who rent premises

GFirst LEP - the Local Economic Partnership for Gloucestershire Stroud District Council works closely with GFirst LEP. GFirst LEP is leading the provision of support for businesses through the Coronavirus Pandemic. Please view www.gfirstlep.com/news/coronavirus-updates to access up to date news, advice and support that is available for your business.

Commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent because of coronavirus will be protected from eviction - view www.gov.uk for details.

Expanded Retail Discount

The Government announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018 that it would provide a Business Rates Retail Discount, to apply in the years 2019/20 and 2020/21. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, in the Budget on 11 March the Government announced that it would increase the discount to 100% and extend it to include the leisure and hospitality sectors. Following the announcement on 23 March 2020 of further measures to limit the spread of coronavirus, the Government confirmed that some of the exclusions for this relief have been removed, so that retail, leisure, and hospitality properties that will have had to close as a result of the restriction measures will now be eligible for the relief.

This relief will apply to retail, leisure and hospitality properties in the year 2020/21. There will be no rateable value limit on the relief.

Businesses already awarded the 50% retail discount on their annual bill for 2020/21, an amended bill showing the 100% discount has been issued.

• We’ve identified businesses under the leisure and hospitality sector that qualify for the extended retail discount. Amended bills showing the 100% discount have been issued.
• We’ve identified the businesses now included as a result of the discount being expanded to remove the rateable value limit and are currently issuing revised bills.
• We have stopped directs debits to be collected on 1 April 2020

For further guidance please click the link below:

Expanded Relief Guidance

Nursery Discount

We have now been given guidance regarding a business rates nursery discount. Please see link below for qualifying criteria.

Nursery Discount Guidance

The relief will apply to properties occupied by providers on Ofsted’s Early Years Register for the provision of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

We have identified the businesses that qualify for the nursery discount and amended bills showing the 100% discount have now been issued.

State aid

Whilst the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by the government and the EU provides that during a transition period, state aid rules will continue to apply and be subject to control by the EU Commission as it is currently. The government has notified the EU of its intention to bring forward an immediate change to the UK’s tax treatment of non-domestic property, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, and to seek clearance under Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Subject to this approval, the Expanded Retail Discount scheme, the Nursery discount scheme will become a notified state aid.

State Aid Declaration

State Aid Declaration (word document)