Are you eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant?

Further to our recent blog about the financial support available from the government for businesses affected by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, we are bringing you details about the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant. This provides local councils with one-off grant funding to provide support to hospitality, leisure, and accommodation businesses.

Is your business eligible?

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is aimed at supporting businesses:

• that offer in-person services
• where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises
• in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors 

Businesses excluded from the fund

You cannot get funding if:

• your business is in administration, insolvent or has been struck off the Companies House register
• you will exceed the permitted subsidy allowance
• your business is not on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) ratings list 

You must notify your local council if your situation changes and you no longer meet the eligibility criteria, for example, if you become insolvent.

Subsidy Allowances

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is covered by three possible subsidy Allowances:

• Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance – you’re allowed up to £335,000 (subject to exchange rates) in Small Amounts of Financial Assistance over any rolling period of 3 financial years
• COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance – under this allowance you’re allowed up to £1,900,000 across all COVID-19 Business Grant schemes
• COVID-19 Business Grant Special Allowance - if you have reached your limits under the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance, you may be able to access a further allowance of funding under these scheme rules of up to £10,000,000 across all COVID-19 Business Grant schemes

Grants under these three Allowances can be combined for a potential total allowance of up to £12,235,000 (subject to exchange rates).

Please note that if your business could be subject to the Northern Ireland Protocol, these Allowances may vary under the State aid rules.

How to apply

Visit your local council’s website to find out how to apply.

About the Author

Paul Newbold

Partner

After qualifying with KPMG where he gained significant audit experience, Paul joined Torgersens in 1991 and became the firm’s audit partner in 2000. Paul employs his broad range of financial skills to provide commercial and accounting advice to a range of owner-managed businesses in the independent retail, education and professional services sectors. He also has extensive experience dealing with charities, Registered Social Landlords and not-for-profit organisations and co-operatives.   Outside of work, Paul likes to visit Eastern France and South-West German and read novels by David Morrell, Michael Blake and Harper Lee. He also likes watching films, his favourite is The Shawshank Redemption.

To get in touch please e-mail paul.newbold@torgersens.com.