Wiltshire Council launch Discretionary Grant Scheme

Wiltshire Council is launching their local Discretionary Grant Scheme on Monday 8th June 2020, after receiving over £5.1 million of additional government funding to support small businesses.

Eligible businesses prioritised for funding include:

• small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces. Examples could include mills, units in industrial parks, science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment
• regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment
• Bed & Breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of business rates, and
• charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief

To help businesses prepare for the launch of the scheme, our guidance for applications is now available on Wiltshire Council website.

Timeline for scheme:

• 8th June - Application form goes live
• 22nd June at 5pm - Applications close
• From 22nd June - Payment of grants

The application can be made here.

All decisions and payments will be made following the closure of the application window.

Businesses will need to provide evidence to support your application. Examples of information required to support an application includes:

Annual Fixed Property Costs

• An annual fixed property cost which can include rent, mortgage payments and rates
• Rental, lease or mortgage statement
• Any evidence to support other fixed building-related costs
• Council Tax or NNDR (Non-Domestic Rates) nil if applicable

Annual Turnover

• Total annual turnover for 2019 (last financial year)
• Profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statement
• Tax return for the last financial year period

Covid-19 Financial Impact

• Evidence of the financial impact of Covid-19 on your business such as evidence of the comparative impact of the Covid-19 period (turnover impact between March-May over 2019 and 2020)
• Copy of the bank statements for this.

Bed & Breakfast requirements
Please provide at least one of the following:

• Planning permission for change of use
• A fire certificate obtained when setting up the B&B to get business insurance policy and public liability cover
• A “hotel and mobile units television licence”, which covers up to 15 televisions and can be purchased online from TV Licensing
• A music licence from PPL PRS Ltd, if you have a TV in public areas, such as a bar or breakfast room, which has the sound turned on
• A personal and premise alcohol licence, if serving alcohol

Read Wiltshire Council's guidance here.