Deadline reminder for Business Support Grant Scheme

Local businesses who have not yet applied to the council for a Scottish Government Business Support grant are being urged to submit an application before the fund closes to new applications on July 10.

The Scottish Government has announced that Small Business Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant schemes will now close for new applications next month – instead of the March 2021 deadline initially set.

Latest figures up to June 2 show that £824.541 million has been distributed to 72,622 businesses across Scotland through the schemes, but that new applications have slowed in recent weeks.  This will allow the Scottish Government to reroute any remaining money to help businesses in other ways.

Orkney Islands Council has received 771 applications to date and paid out 591, – at a total value of £5,925,000. The scheme has also been extended to small businesses which share properties but do not pay business rates.

The extension to the Small Business Grant Fund will apply to firms occupying shared office spaces, business incubators or shared industrial units and who lease the space from a registered, rate-paying landlord.

Separately, eligibility has also been extended to companies occupying multiple premises with a cumulative rateable value of up to £500,000 – but the premises must be operating in the retail, hospitality or leisure sectors and they can only claim for individual properties with a rateable value of less than £18,000.

Eligible businesses will be able to apply to their local authority for grants of up to £10,000.

The council has also established its own business hardship fund, specifically aimed at businesses who did not qualify for any of the Scottish Government funding streams.

Since its launch on the May 1 the fund has received 157 initial enquires – with £190,000 paid out to date.