People with Norwich businesses are reminded of two grants currently available if they’ve been affected by the national restriction period.

The Local Restrictions Grant

This is for businesses with premises in the non-domestic rating listing: non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, entertainment and personal care sectors, which were mandated to shut their doors on 5 November.

These businesses can apply for a one-off payment for the four-week period of national restrictions (Thursday 5 November to Wednesday 2 December).

The amounts payable is set by government and are as follows:

£1,334 – for those with properties with a rateable value (RV) of £15,000 or under
£2,000 – where RVs are between £15,001 and £50,999
£3,000 – RVs of £51,000 or above.
Those who have been required to close the main part of their business or service, but may be offering click and collect or delivery options can apply.

Additional Restrictions Grant

This is a discretionary grant and is aimed at businesses that were:

required to close, but not entitled to the Local Restrictions Grant – this includes people who may be self-employed but do not have premises with a rateable value (for example, maybe you’re a hairdresser who rents a chair on a salon)
not required to close, but are experiencing a significant financial impact due to the national restrictions – businesses such as those which supply the retail, hospitality, leisure or events sector. They may still be open, but be experiencing a big drop in income due to reduced demand for their services.
Councillor Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council, said: “ I hope these grants will go some way to help businesses during his incredibly difficult time.

Throughout the pandemic, we have given out over £40.5m in grant funding to support Norwich businesses, but we can all do our bit to support them. Why not buy local this Christmas? Many shops, including some Norwich Market stalls, are now operating online and will deliver to your doorstep.”