The government has recently decided to provide grants for businesses with shared workspaces.
This was as a result of significant pressure brought about by our petition, along with other voices across industry, highlighting the unfairness of grants not applying to a large section of businesses – particularly those working from shared workspaces.
The statement on the Gov.uk website:
‘A discretionary fund has been set up to accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme.
This additional fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared spaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. But local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need. The allocation of funding will be at the discretion of local authorities.’
You can read the full article here
The £617 million being made available represents an additional 5% uplift to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF).
Check with your local authority to apply.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who added their voice to our petition, or who took time to support the cause in other ways to make grants fairer for small businesses working from shared workspaces. This money will really help many businesses stay afloat in these very difficult times. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!