Chesterfield Borough Council update on grants and business rate relief process

In response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Government has confirmed a number of financial measures to help support businesses.

Chesterfield Borough Council is currently following the Government guidance to identify local businesses that may be eligible to access business grants and business rate relief. The council will be contacting these businesses directly.

The financial support measures outlined by central Government include:

• Small business grants of up to £10,000 for all businesses in receipt of small business rate relief, rural rate relief or tapered relief
• 100% business rate relief has been extended to all retail, hospitality and leisure properties (such as cafes, restaurants, bars, theatres, gyms and hotels) for the whole of 2020/21
• Grant funding of up to £25,000 will also be available to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property where the rateable value is between £15,000 and £51,000.
• Business rate relief for nurseries – 100% relief will be paid to all premises occupied by providers on Ofsted’s Early Years Register and wholly or mainly used for the provision of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which are subject to business rates in the year 2020/21

Councillor Terry Gilby, cabinet member for economic growth, said: “We understand this will be a worrying time for business owners of all sizes and it is important that we do what we can to support them during this difficult time.

“We expect to receive the funding for the business grants from Government in early April. As soon as we get this, we will be able to issue the grants to help support our local businesses.

“In the meantime, and to help speed up the process of making payments to those eligible, we will be contacting those businesses directly and asking them to provide us with further information to enable us to make the payment.  More information about the process is available on our website at www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub/businesses-information.

“Given the current demands on our Customer Contact Centre, we would request that all contact relating to this matter is via email. Please check our website first, and if you need more information, please email us at revenues.billing@chesterfield.gov.uk. A member of our team will then respond to you as soon as possible.”

Further information on the eligibility criteria for business grant and business rates can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19

Check out our business support page for the latest guidance

Supporting local initiatives from Chesterfield Business during Coronavirus Outbreak