In response to the Coronavirus, Covid – 19, the Government announced there would be support for small businesses, and businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

This support will take the form of two grant funding schemes:

The Small Business Grant Fund
The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund

Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF)

Under the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) all eligible businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000.

The SBGF is given as de minimis aid under the De Minimis Regulation (Commission Regulation) (EU) Number 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid1) or Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current Covid-19 outbreak published on 19 March 2020.

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLG)

Under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant (RHLG) eligible businesses in England in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for a cash grants of £10,000 or £25,000 per property.

The RHLG is given as aid under the Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current Covid-19 outbreak published on 19 March 2020.

These grants are required to comply with the EU law on State Aid.

In this case, this involves returning a declaration to this authority if you have received any other de minimis State aid or aid provided under the EU Commission Covid-19 Temporary Framework.

You will need to complete the de minimis declaration if you receive SBGF on this basis, or the Temporary Framework declaration if you receive RHLG (or SBGF on this basis) and return it to the Town Hall, Lytham St Annes, FY8 1LW.

In terms of declaring previous de minimis aid, we are only interested in public support which is de minimis aid that has been received within the current or previous two financial years (State Aid received under other exemptions or public support which is not State Aid does not need to be declared).

If you have not received any other de minimis State aid, you do not need to complete or return the declaration.

If you wish to refuse grant funding in relation to the premises to which this bill and letter relates, please complete a refused grant funding form and return it to the Town Hall, Lytham St Annes, FY8 1LW.

You do not need to complete the declaration.

If you have been offered SBGF as de minimis aid, you can only receive up to €200,000 over a three-year period. If you have been offered RHLG (or SBGF on this basis), you can only receive up to €800,000 under the Temporary Framework (other conditions also apply).

This may be particularly relevant to those premises that are part of a large chain, where the cumulative total of grant funding received could exceed these thresholds.

Under the European Commission rules, you must retain this letter for three years from the date on this letter and produce it on any request by the UK public authorities or the European Commission.(You may need to keep this letter longer than three years for other purposes).

Furthermore, information on this aid must be supplied to any other public authority or agency asking for information on ‘de minimis’ aid for the next three years.’De minimis’ declaration.