Grants of up to £6,000 available to firms hardest hit by Omicron

Businesses who have been hardest hit by the Omicron variant will be able to tap into a multimillion-pound support package after the Government delivered funding to councils across England.

Firms in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors, many of which have seen a decline in footfall and increased cancellations due to the rise in Omicron cases, will be able to apply for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises depending on rateable value:

• Businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or above - £6,000
• Businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 - £4,000
• Businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or below - £2,667

In addition, more than £100 million worth of discretionary funding is also being made available for local authorities to support other businesses.

In total, the £1 billion support package consists of:

• £635 million for targeted grants for hospitality and leisure businesses in England
• £102 million top-up for the Additional Restrictions Grant
• £30 million for Culture Recovery Fund
• £154 million of Barnett funding covering all three above
• Funding for the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate scheme will be additional to these amounts

The grants will be available in the coming weeks.

For Birmingham City Council, cabinet approval is needed to pay the grants and a report will be presented to the cabinet on 18 January.

Raj Kandola (pictured), head of policy at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “It 's pleasing to see that the funding has been made available for those businesses that have been hardest hit by the spread of Omicron - particularly for those firms in the hospitality and retail sectors that suffered a raft of cancellations over Christmas period.

“It 's clear to see that consumer confidence has taken a massive hit as a result of the restrictions that have been introduced as part of the Plan B programme - the impact of footfall on city centres and high streets is there for all to see.

“That 's why it 's so important that this funding is rolled out as quickly as possible to those businesses that need it the most - we would urge businesses to apply in the coming weeks and make the most of the options available to them.

“Data from our latest Quarterly Business Report revealed the huge cash pressures that many businesses are still facing and it 's vital that the Government offers clarity on longer term support options should the fallout from Omicron persist over the coming weeks and months. ”

Book your place on our upcoming Q4 Quarterly Business Report Launch Event which will offer an update on the latest economic trends in the region.

Justin Varney, Director of Public Health at Birmingham City Council is one of our key note speakers and will offer an update on the impact of Omicron for businesses.

Review our Covid-19 Support Grid which provides information on the various Government support packages which are available for businesses.