F&HDC COVID Discretionary Business Grant Scheme Extended

Further to the launch of the Folkestone & Hythe District Council Discretionary Small Business Grant Scheme, they have now widened the scheme to include those that have already received a grant from the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and more types of businesses are now eligible for funding. Those eligible to apply for a grant now include:

• Businesses in shared workspaces (such as in business centres and business incubators) that would have received a Small Business Grant or Retail Hospitality & Leisure Grant if they were individual business rate payers.
• Bed & Breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of Business Rates.
• Holiday lets where the owner is a resident of the Folkestone and Hythe district. Where an owner has more than one property a maximum of one grant is payable per resident.
• Regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment and have a business address in the district.
• Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.
• Creative businesses based in residential or business premises with a rateable value or annual rent or annual mortgage payments below £51,000.
• Retail, Leisure and Hospitality businesses that are ineligible for the SBG and RHLGF grant schemes because they were not included in the business rates register on 11 March 2020 and garages and MOT repair workshops are included in this sector. This includes businesses in this sector which are home-based, that pay council tax rather than business rates.

The closing date for applications is 9am Monday 22 June 2020.

Further details about the scheme, including the supporting evidence required alongside an application, can be found at https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/business-grant-scheme