South East Midlands Kickstart Grant Scheme
The South East Midlands Kickstart Grant scheme is reopening for applications. Following the first round of applications which closed within hours of opening there are a small number of grants available. The scheme is set up to help local businesses to access external expertise, consultancy support or equipment through grants of £1,000 to £3,000, to help businesses respond to the impact of COVID-19.
From 10 am on Wednesday 18 November to 2 pm on Wednesday 25 November, businesses can submit an expression of interest on the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) website here which will then enter them into the application ballot. The application ballot is designed to allow SEMLEP to fairly manage the anticipated demand for the grants and give each business the equal opportunity of being selected to submit a full application. The candidates will then be chosen at random every week until all the funds have been allocated.
This is only for businesses that are located within the South East Midlands growth hub area. There are still grants available through the Leicestershire Business Gateway Growth Hub for businesses located in the Leicestershire area. The major difference to the SEMLEP grant scheme is that businesses must cover 50% of the costs between £2,000 to £10,000. Full details of their grant scheme can be found here.
Local Restrictions Support Grant
The Local Restrictions Support Grant is for those businesses required to close due to local or national restrictions and which pay business rates. Applications to apply for this grant are now open on the Kettering Borough Council website and businesses can apply for this grant on their website here. Grants worth up to £3,000 per month can be distributed to businesses with premises forced to close for at least 3 weeks due to the restrictions as follows:
- For properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, grants will be for £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000, grants will be for £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over, grants will be for £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.
A further discretionary scheme to assist other businesses will launch shortly on the Kettering Borough Council’s website.
Furlough deadlines
With all the changes to furlough over the past few months the most important is the new deadline introduced to make your furlough claims by. If you do not meet the deadline date the furlough claim cannot be made. Please see below the dates that the furlough claims must be submitted by for November 2020 to March 2021 claims:
November – 14/12
December – 14/1
January – 15/2
February – 15 /3
March – 14/4
Links
Our previous updates can be found on Facebook and LinkedIn or on our website blog.A UK Government general COVID-19 support website can be found here. It contains guidance on all matters pertaining to the Coronavirus.
