New COVID-19 business grant schemes open for applications

Published: 18 January 2022

New funding to support businesses deal with the challenges of the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 is now available.

Both the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant, and Additional Restrictions Grant are now open for applications.

Businesses can apply to either grant scheme but not both using the MyAccount platform. Any eligible business will need to apply regardless of whether they’ve applied to previous grant schemes or not. Businesses that have not previously used this service will need to create an account with their telephone number and email address, which can be done in minutes. Those that have already registered will simply need to log in using their existing email address and password.

• Applications for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant can be submitted on myAccount.
• Applications for the Additional Restrictions Grant can be submitted on myAccount.

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is available to ratepaying hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses that provide an in-person service after £700 million was made available by Government in December 2021.

Businesses who can answer yes to the following three questions, and are included in the list of eligible businesses at the end of this article, are invited to apply for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant using MyAccount:

• Are you registered for business rates within Derby City?
• Has your business got a rateable value?
• Was your business trading on 30 December 2021

Applications for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant will close at 11.59pm on Friday 18 March.

Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)

The additional Omicron ARG funding has been provided by Government to support businesses who have been severely impacted by the rise of the Omicron Variant but are unable to access the Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant.

In order to apply for the Omicron ARG funding, must be:

• Trading at the time of application
• Not be in administration, insolvent, or have a striking off notice made against it
• Based in Derby
• Able to confirm its eligibility under the scheme conditions and subsidy control regulation
• Have a minimum of £2,500 of annual fixed business costs if you operate from a residential premises or shared workspace.
• Not in receipt of a grant award from the Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant Fund.

Derby City Council will only be considering ARG funding applications for businesses in the following sectors: Hospitality, Accommodation, Leisure, Personal Care, Travel & Tourism, Wedding Industries, Nightclubs, Theatres, Event Industries, Wholesalers, Breweries, Gyms & Childcare

Applications for the Omicron ARG funding can be made online using MyAccount and will close on Monday 15 February. For any further details, businesses can contact the Economic Growth team by email.

Councillor Jonathan Smale, Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Digital, said:

We know all too well the challenges that coronavirus restrictions present to our many fantastic businesses in Derby, and we want to help where possible.

We appreciate this extra funding from the Government and will now do what we can to ensure applications are dealt with and payments processed as quickly as possible.

I would like to remind businesses to check the eligibility criteria for both schemes and make sure to apply for the correct one before the deadline.

For the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant, each sector will be defined as below. 

Hospitality: A business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink

• Food courts
• Public houses/pub restaurants
• Restaurants
• Roadside restaurants
• Wine bars
• Cafés

Leisure: A business that provides opportunities, experiences, and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, days and nights out, betting and gaming

• Casinos and gambling clubs
• Cinemas
• Museums and art galleries
• Stately homes & historic houses
• Theatres
• Zoos & safari parks
• Amusement parks
• Wedding venues
• Events venues
• Night clubs & discotheques
• Arenas
• Concert halls
• Tourist attractions
• Theme parks
• Amusement arcades
• Soft play centres or areas
• Clubs & institutions
• Village halls & scout huts, cadet huts, etc.

Accommodation: A business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes.

• Caravan parks
• Caravan sites and pitches
• Chalet parks
• Coaching inns
• Country house hotels
• Guest houses
• Hostels
• Hotels
• Lodge
• Holiday apartments
• Cottages or bungalows
• Campsites
• Boarding houses
• Canal boats or other vessels
• B&Bs
• Catered holiday homes
• Holiday homes

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