£3.2 million Covid-19 support grants for local businesses

PR2459/KS/MF - 12/09/2022

Mid Sussex District Council will allocate over £3 million this month to almost 700 local businesses that have not yet received any financial support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) has been provided by the Government to support businesses that were not eligible for their main Business Grant support schemes.

Many businesses were unable to claim the first wave of Government Covid-19 support grants because they were specifically for businesses in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief and those working in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors.

The Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund applies to a much wider range of businesses such as offices, factories, warehouses and small businesses in shared workspaces, market traders, charity properties and businesses in the supply chain to the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality sectors that did not qualify for the original government business grants.

Mid Sussex businesses were invited to apply for the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund grants but so far only 74 businesses have submitted a claim. To ensure that local businesses don’t miss out on this crucial support, Mid Sussex District Council will be automatically paying the grants to eligible businesses from 19 September 2022.

The Council will be writing to all eligible businesses in Mid Sussex to inform them about the upcoming Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund award. There is nothing that eligible businesses need to do if they believe they are entitled to this relief, other than to look out for the relief shown on their business rates bill when they receive it.

The Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund support payments are exclusively for businesses that have been affected by the pandemic but have not yet received any Covid-19 relief or discount support for their business rates from the Government.

ENDS