Additional support will be available for businesses who have been impacted by the Omicron variant, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced on 21 December.

• The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme is for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England, who will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000
• Additionally, councils will be allocated Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding, to support other businesses impacted by Omicron – such as those who supply the hospitality and leisure sectors
• A COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) of £1.5 billion will help reduce the Business Rates burden for those business who are not eligible for other reliefs

Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000. To qualify, business must have been on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) ratings list for Business Rates on 30 December 2021 and actively trading.

The amount of grant available depends on the rateable value of your business on 30 December 2021:

Applications are now open and we will contact all eligible businesses.

Local councils have been provided with additional funding to make discretionary payments to support other businesses that may have been severely impacted by the Omicron variant. 

In order to qualify, businesses must meet the following criteria: 

• Businesses must be actively trading
• Businesses must be severely impacted by the Omicron variant.
• Businesses that have already received grant payments that equal the maximum permitted levels of subsidy will not be eligible to receive ARG funding
• Businesses receiving an Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant will not be eligible to receive ARG funding

The amount of grant available depends on the value/fixed costs of your business as of 30 December 2021: 

The government has announced a new COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund of £1.5 billion. The fund will be available to support those businesses affected by the pandemic that are not eligible for existing support linked to Business Rates.

You will have to provide evidence to demonstrate a substantial loss of income as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and confirm that you have not been helped with other grants or Business Rates relief. 

Register via the Grant Approval website  or portal before applying online. Alternatively, log in to your Grant Approval account  and use the Scheme Quick Code: 416AZE to bring up the relevant form.

This scheme closes on 18 March 2022.