Calling all businesses new to North Herts

Is your business moving to a commercial premises in North Herts? Or has it moved into the district during the current financial year?

A further grant scheme has been made available to help local businesses recover and move forward following the pandemic. Following on from the Omicron hospitality and leisure grants and Additional restrictions grants announced last month – which are still available as below – another scheme for rate-paying businesses is now also available.

New premises grants – NEW
Deadline: 31 March

This grant scheme can award up to £5,000 to businesses to reimburse their costs of preparing and moving into a new commercial premises within North Herts. The move must have taken place after 1 April 2021, and the costs incurred/invoice date after 1 July 2021.

Omicron hospitality and leisure grants – STILL AVAILABLE
Deadline: 28 February

The Omicron hospitality and leisure grant supports businesses that offer in-person services within a fixed business rate-paying premise. It is a one-off payment of either £2,667, £4,000 or £6,000 (dependant on rateable value) to support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses – gyms and leisure centres are excluded from this scheme (see below).

Additional restrictions grants (ARG) – STILL AVAILABLE
Deadline: 28 February

This is a follow on to the successful ARG schemes which were launched last year to aid the recovery of businesses during and after national lockdowns. Similar to previous ARG schemes, businesses can apply for discretionary grants and if successful grants will be awarded by the end of March. 

This scheme will assist business rate-payers that don’t qualify for the Omicron hospitality and leisure grants above, that primarily provide an in-person business such as hairdressers, beauty salons and nail bars, gyms and leisure centres.

Applications can also come from business sectors for both business rate-payers and non-business rate-payers, including:

• coach tour operators
• independent travel agents
• taxi drivers
• those that support the hospitality sector
• home-workers and others that provide an in-person service such as mobile hairdressers, driving instructors, personal trainers and sports injury therapists – where evidence can be provided that there has been an impact on your business.

Jo Dufficy, Customers Service Director, said: “We know some businesses are still struggling with the continuing effects of the pandemic so we urge them to come forward and see what grant scheme may help them. We hope these grants will help strengthen our local economy and protect and create jobs in our towns and villages across North Herts.”

More information: Business grants