In response to the situation faced by many businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a range of new business grants for affected firms.
Hospitality & Leisure Grants
£683m has been made available to hospitality and leisure firms.
Recipients must be solvent businesses, and ratepayers in the hospitality and leisure sector. For example, a pub; hotel; restaurant; bar; cinema; or amusement park.
Grants are per premises and the amount paid is varied by rateable value (RV) of each eligible premises, in three bands:
- £0-£15k RV = £2,700 available grant
- £15k-£50k RV = £4,000 available grant
- >£50k RV = £6,000 available grant
Additional Restrictions Grants (ARGs)
An extra £102m has been allocated to Local Authorities in England for their ARG funds.
Use of this funding is at the LA’s discretion but is intended to support businesses who are impacted by COVID-19 but may not be eligible for the hospitality and leisure grant.
Cultural Recovery Fund
£30 million of further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund to support organisations in England such as theatres, orchestras and museums through the winter.
Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS)
In addition to the new grants support, the Chancellor also announced the reintroduction of the SSPRS.
This will be a temporary scheme to support employers facing heightened levels of sickness absence due to COVID-19. The SSPRS will refund small and medium-sized employers’ COVID-related SSP costs for up to two weeks per employee.
Employers will be eligible for the scheme if:
- They are UK-based.
- They employed fewer than 250 employees as of 30 November 2021.
- They had a PAYE payroll system as off 30 November 2021.
- They have already paid their employees’ COVID-related SSP.
Employers can claim for COVID-related sickness absences occurring from 21 December 2021 onwards.
Employers will be able to make a claim through HMRC from mid-January onwards, using this website:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-paypaid-to-your-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19.
Have your say
If your business has been affected by recent Covid guidance and have any thoughts on the support measures outlined above please get in touch with the Chamber’s policy team: Click here to have your say
