RSS Press releases

A new Coronavirus Restrictions Fund has been announced by the Scottish Government to support businesses affected by the new COVID-19 restrictions which were announced on Friday 9 October. Dumfries and Galloway Council will administer this fund to eligible businesses within our region.

 The business hardship fund will award payments of £1,000 or £1500, dependent on Rateable Value, this is to support some businesses that remain open but are still significantly impacted by the restrictions, including those in the direct supply chains of firms that must close. An upper limit of £10,000 will apply in total to any eligible business operating multiple premises.

 The purpose of this fund is to provide hardship relief to:

• Hospitality businesses and gyms unable to operate group classes and who are required by the regulations to operate in a restricted way.
• Producers/wholesale businesses supplying primarily perishable supplies to hospitality businesses required by the regulations to close or operate in a restricted way, and who are able to evidence a reduction of at least 25% in turnover during the brake period.

 The Eligibility Criteria of this fund is:

 Businesses must have a dedicated business bank account (they will be required to provide the account details as part of the application process, and this is the account your grant will be paid into if successful).

• The business was trading on 9th October 2020.
• The business premises are registered for Non-Domestic rates (if they pay rates through a landlord rather than directly to a Council, they are still eligible to apply but must provide evidence of this arrangement through copy of your lease agreement).
• The business can provide evidence of loss of business income due to local Covid-19 restrictions.
• The business has not breached wider COVID regulations/requirements prior to local restrictions being implemented.
• The business is not connected to a tax haven, as set out in the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No. 2) Act 2020.
• The business operates within the local authority to which they are submitting the application and all premises included in this application are located within that local authority area.

The fund closes to new applications on Tuesday 2^nd November 2020.

For further information go to: https://supportdg.dumgal.gov.uk/article/20786/Coronavirus-Restrictions-Funds

 The Council also has a business help line: 01387 260280 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).

 Chair of the Council’s Economy and Resources Committee, Rob Davidson, said: “From the very start of the pandemic we have done everything we can to support our local businesses. Obviously, we are not out of the woods yet, with these further, very necessary, restrictions needed to curb additional outbreaks. We understand that this will impact businesses already feeling the effects of COVID and the economic crisis it has caused, which is why we would encourage you to apply for this funding, if eligible.”

 Archie Dryburgh, Vice Chair, said: ”These are challenging times and we acted immediately at the start of the pandemic, providing support and distributing vital money to help our region’s businesses. We will continue to do this for as long as it is needed, by alerting businesses to funding as it becomes available and providing expertise and support to those who are struggling. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to see if we can help.”