Government Grants for Businesses affected by Coronavirus
Your most pressing concern right now is being able to access the government grants for businesses. Whilst I still don’t have any specific information as to when you are going to be contacted by ADC, indications are that it will be soon.
We know that ADC are in the process of identifying businesses that are eligible for the two different grants. The most likely scenario is that the person liable for business rates will then be contacted by email or letter, and asked to provide further details so that ADC can confirm you are eligible for the grant, and bank details so they are able to pay the grant to your business.
If you haven’t done so already, please make sure your ADC have the correct contact details for your business. You’ll find details about how to do this on the BID’s Coronavirus Page
Business Rates Relief
ADC Business Rates are in the process of re-issuing bills to any of the business sectors now eligible for relief (currently retail, hospitality, leisure, letting agents, estate agents, bingo halls).
ADC will be using their current records to identify the individual businesses eligible for the Business Rates relief. They’ve advised that whilst some businesses may qualify, they may not be automatically identified if they’re trading in a property that doesn’t qualify – for example, a business that is retailing from a premises that is classified as a “warehouse” for business rates.
If you think this might apply to your situation, you will need to contact Business Rates Department at Arun District Council, as they will not know to contact you.
Changes to BID website Coronavirus pages
The information about financial support measures for businesses changes at a fast pace, and we don’t want to miss anything that might be relevant to your business. I’ve therefore changed the BID’s Coronavirus page on “Cost Saving” to a simple link to the government site, as that’s more user friendly.
You can visit the site by following this link.
ADC Tenants: Rent “Holiday”
You may have seen reports in the press about a rent holiday for ADC commercial tenants.
BID Chairman, Jason Passingham, has been working with ADC to clarify the terms of the offer. The information he has received from Cllr James Walsh, Leader of Arun District Council is that:
“It is a 3 month rent holiday, meaning that the rent due on April 1st is not payable in that three month period, but is deferred to a later date, which can be fully negotiable over a 6-24 month period, without interest payable. The initial 3 month period may be extended by the council if the pandemic extends longer, and likewise the pay back period could be negotiable and longer.
I would stress that this action is not mandated by central government, but a local decision by this administration, in an effort to give some further relief to hard pressed local small businesses. There is a cost to Arun District Council which will be borne by the local council tax payers, which clearly limits our room to go further.
It is in addition to the business rate exemption for 12 months announced by central government from 1st April.”
If you have any queries as to how this will apply to your business premises, these will need to be addressed to the Finance Department. However, please note that the precise details as to how this will be administrated are still being worked out.
We’ll continue to update our website with information that affects your business, and alert you to anything new through our social media platforms. If you haven’t already, please start following us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bognorregisBID
Even though Clair and I are working from home, you can still contact us by email: info@brbid.org, by phone: 07917 692690 or through Zoom meeting software. The software is free to download and works across a wide range of platforms – phones, tablets, PC’s, Macs. If you’d like a virtual face to face, please invite: heather@brbid.org
Kindest regards, Heather
Heather Allen, BR BID Co-Ordinator