Further to the various business support grants the government has made available, each local council is now offering access to a Coronavirus Discretionary Grant Fund.
We have reviewed the Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council selection criteria, along with those of a number of surrounding councils. Unfortunately, each council appears to have a unique eligibility criteria and as such it is impossible to provide a definitive list. There are certain criteria which appear on every list including but not limited to:
• The business must NOT have already received, or be eligible to receive, the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant.
• The business must have no more than 50 employees
• The business was trading on 11 March 2020
• The business occupies premises for which it incurs costs.
• The business must have been adversely impacted by Covid 19.
If your business meets the above criteria, we would suggest that the best course of action is to visit the website of your local council in order to verify that your business meets the further qualifying criteria on their website.
We would also point out that some councils have stated that the fund will be granted on a first come first served basis whilst others, including Wigan, have stated that all applications must be received by a specific date (applications in Wigan must be received by 16th June).
If you require any help in verifying if your business qualifies for this grant, or help with the application, please feel free to contact us
