Business Rates - Reductions, Exemptions and Discounts

Grants for businesses

Business Support Grant

National Lockdown restrictions from 5 November 2020 

The government has announced further grants fund support for businesses that have been forced to close due to the national restrictions. 

Grants are based on the rateable value of the property and will be paid per 28-day qualifying restriction period. 

• Businesses occupying properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under can get a grant payment of £1,334 

• Businesses occupying properties with a rateable value between £15,001 and £50,999 can get a grant payment of £2,000 
• Businesses occupying properties with a rateable value of £51,000 and over can get a grant payment of £3,000 

To be eligible for this grant, your business property must fall under one of the categories on the government’s list of businesses forced to close. Please note that if the majority of your business has been forced to close but you are operating a takeaway or click and collect service, you may still be eligible for a grant. However, businesses that have chosen to close but have not been required to will not be eligible for this grant and should not apply.  

The government has also provided some advice for businesses: 

Check if your business is eligible for a coronavirus grant due to national restrictions (for closed businesses)  
  

The scheme is now live and all businesses that wish to claim will have to complete the secure online form by clicking on the link below. 

https://openportal.stroud.gov.uk/scripts/OPENPortal-Live.wsc/ndr/ndrlrsgrant.p 

Additional Restrictions Grant (LRSGD)

Funding has also been made available to Local Authorities under the Additional Restrictions Grant (LRSGD) and will be used for discretionary payments.

The council is currently in the final stages of determining our local ARG policy and we aim to go live and start accepting applications during the week commencing the 30th of November 2020.

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.