Coronavirus Support News

Scottish Covid-19 Grant Application Forms Available Now

The £10,000 and £25,000 grants that we have been updating you on are being administered via Scottish Councils and most if not all councils have the application forms available to download already.  

If you wish to start your application immediately you can use the drop-down list on this Scottish Government site to go straight to this page on your local council for grant information and download the form.

  1. SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANT

Application for a one-off £10,000 grant available for the ratepayers of properties which had a rateable value of £18,000 or less and were, on 17 March 2020, 1) in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), 2) in receipt of Rural Relief, or 3) eligible for SBBS but in receipt of Nursery Relief or Disabled Relief.

2) RETAIL, HOSPITALITY, LEISURE SUPPORT GRANT

Application for a £25,000 grant available for relief recipients with a rateable value between £18,001 and £50,999 in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors.

 

Details

The grants are linked to business rates and you will need the rates reference number for your business and your bank account details (sort code and account numbers etc).  

It looks pretty straight forward and although not all councils are using the same form the information required is identical. 

There are restrictions such as you can only apply for one of your premises – That might be a problem for pub or restaurant/cafe chains in particular.

The grant is subject to de minimis aid rules meaning the company applying can’t have already received more than EUR 200,000 for each undertaking over a 3-year period.

The form asks if your business was already in financial trouble at the end of 2019 and asks you to provide details if the answer is Yes.  Every company is eligible but I guess (and it is only a guess) that if you were already behind on your rates and other payments to the council they may investigate.  They are in the business of helping companies that are impacted by Coronavirus, not those that were just in trouble already.  It may be a tick box exercise but I would suggest you talk to your accountant if you are worried about that.

About the author

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp is the Founder and Chief Executive of Business for Scotland. Before becoming CEO of Business for Scotland Gordon ran a business strategy and social media, sales & marketing consultancy.

With a degree in business, marketing and economics, Gordon has worked as an economic development planning professional, and in marketing roles specialising in pricing modelling and promotional evaluation for global companies (including P&G).

Gordon benefits (not suffers) from dyslexia, and is a proponent of the emerging New Economics School. Gordon contributes articles to Business for Scotland, The National and Believe in Scotland.

3 Comments

  • Is self-catering eligible for the SBBS grant? According to UK and Scottish gov it is eligible but Angus Council application form self-catering is on the ‘not’ eligible list.

    • If the charity is a registered ltd company or other legally recognised status and pays non-domestic rates for promises yes.

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