Business Rates, Business Grants and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Summary of the Schemes that are still available

Wider Support Scheme

The Council has created Wider Business Support Scheme using Government Covid-19 grants in response to feedback from businesses earlier this year that, alongside grants, business were looking to the Council to provide support to assist them grow and diversify following the pandemic. Wider Business Support Scheme.

Business Grants Schemes

The table below summarises the business grants that are currently available with links to the application forms to use.

Ref
Scheme
Who is this for?
What is the value of the grant?
How do I get the grant?

Mandatory grants (scheme defined by Government)

OHLG
Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
Business rates payers in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors who are struggling due to the impact of the Omicron variant.

Businesses should provide in-person services in fixed premises.
One off grant funding of £2,667, £4,000 or £6,000 (based on the rateable value of the property)
The appplication process for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is now closed

Discretionary grants (scheme defined by Local Authorities)

ARG T5P1a
Additional Restrictions Grants Tranche 5 Part 1a – Omicron - Hospitality and Leisure
Businesses in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors who are struggling due to the impact of the Omicron variant and who are not eligible for the OHLG scheme. Businesses should provide in person services in fixed premises.
One off payment of £2,667
The application process for the ARG Omicron T5 scheme is now closed due to oversubscription. However, we are continuing to review the applications already received.

ARG T5P1b
Additional Restrictions Grants Tranche 5 Part 1b – Omicron - Other Affected Sectors
Businesses who are struggling due to the impact of the Omicron variant from the following sectors:

Personal care
Travel and Tourism
Wholesalers and suppliers to Hospitality, Leisure and Accommodation businesses
Gyms, well-being centres and sports businesses conducted from premises Riding establishments Mobile caterers Businesses should provide in person services in fixed premises and the sector above should be at least 50% of their business
One off grant funding of £2,667, £4,000 or £6,000 (based on the rateable value of the property) or £2,667 if non business rates payer.
Please see above

ARG T5P1c
Additional Restrictions Grants Tranche 5 Part 1c – Omicron - Taxi Operators
Holders of a Taxi Operator licence issued by Fareham Borough Council and where the business operates out of a business address in the Borough of Fareham.
One off payment of £2,667
Please see above

ARG T5P1d
Additional Restrictions Grants Tranche 5 Part 1d – Omicron – New Starter Top Up
Businesses in receipt of one of the Omicron mandatory or discretionary grants and who started trading after 11 March 2020.
Additional one-off payment of £2,000
Please see above

ARG T5P2
Additional Restrictions Grants Tranche 5 Part 2 – Omicron - Retail
Business Rates Payers in the essential and non-essential retail sectors who have suffered a loss as a result of Omicron.

Excludes take-away and delivery of food
£2,667, £4,000 or £6,000 (based on the rateable value of the property)
Please see above

ARG CSMAeA
Extended market stall reimbursements
Businesses who actively trade at the Fareham or Portchester Markets.
Varies depending on the frequency and cost of hiring the market stall between 01/01/22 to 25/03/22
Arranged via the Market Operator

OHLG

The Government announced an additional £1 billion in support for businesses, recognising that the rise of the Omicron variant means some businesses are likely to struggle over the coming weeks. The scheme provides eligible Fareham based companies with a one-off grant based on the Rateable Value of their business on 30 December 2021. Grants range from £2,667 to £6,000. Find further information on the Omicron scheme and details of how to apply.

ARG Tranche 5

In response to the 4-week national lockdown announced on 31/10/2020, the Government announced that there would be additional funding available to Local Authorities to help support businesses in their areas. The aim of the ARG-T5 scheme is to support business that have been impacted by further coronavirus restrictions or the Omicron variant. Find out more about ARG Tranche 5 here PDF (186 KB).

To be eligible, applicants must:

Have been trading as at 30 December 2021
Still be trading or engaged in business activity at time of application
Not be dormant
Not be in liquidation, administration, dissolved, struck off or subject to a striking-off notice
Have employees/staff (which can include yourself if you are a sole trader)
Occupy at least one trading location in the Borough of Fareham
Qualify under one of the eligible business types set out below
Not be eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant Scheme

Ref
Title
Premises type
Eligible businesses

Round 1

T5P1a
ARG-Omicron Hospitality and Leisure
Commercial non-rateable premises
Domestic premises
Hospitality
Leisure
Accommodation

T5P1b
ARG-Omicron other affected areas
Rateable properties
Commercial non-rateable premises
Domestic premises
Mobile businesses
Personal Care
Travel and tourism
Wholesalers and suppliers to Hospitality, Leisure and Accommodation businesses
Gyms, wellbeing centres and sports businesses conducted from premises
Riding Establishments
Mobile caterers
Event organisers including weddings

T5P1c
ARG-Taxi Operator
Rateable properties
Commercial non-rateable premises
Domestic premises
Holders of an FBC Taxi Operator licence and where the business operates out of a business address in the Borough of Fareham.

T5P1d
ARG-New starter top-up
Rateable properties
Commercial non-rateable premises(where rent or similar paid)
Business in receipt of one of the Omicron grants who started trading after 11 March 2020.

Round 2

T5P2
ARG-Retail
Rateable properties
Essential and Non-essential retail who have suffered a loss due to restrictions or Omicron variant
Excludes take away and delivery of food

ARG-CSMAeA – Further Extended Market Stall Reimbursements

The CSMAeA scheme has been extended to reimburse the amount paid by a market trader for their stall from Saturday 1 January 2022 up to and including Friday 25 March 2022.

This scheme is an extension to the ARG-T1M and ARG-CSM schemes. Full details can be found in the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) Continued Market Support Scheme PDF (171 KB).

The table below shows the current charges which will be in place for the entirety of the scheme. The charges are in £/foot referring to the size of the market stall.

The number of reimbursements at each market is capped. 'Signed on' traders will be reimbursed first, then any casual traders up to a maximum total of 50 pitch fees reimbursed each market.

The pitch fees for additional markets will also be eligible.

Fareham Market (inclusive of VAT)
Value Per Foot
£

Signed on Pitch Fee
Per foot minimum 15ft, maximum 50ft
2.00

Casual Pitch Fee
Per foot minimum 15ft, maximum 50ft
2.50

Additional Markets
Per foot minimum 15ft, maximum 50ft
1.00

Portchester Market
Value Per Foot
£

Signed on Pitch Fee
Per foot minimum 15ft, maximum 50ft
1.00

Casual Pitch Fee
Per foot minimum 15ft, maximum 50ft
1.50

Only Active Market Traders who trade as part of the Fareham or Portchester markets are eligible for this scheme. All other businesses should refer to the other ARG schemes.

There is no need to apply for reimbursement under this scheme as these will be arranged via the market operators.

Business Rates Grants Schemes no longer available

Details of the schemes previously available to businesses during the COVID pandemic, can be found under Expired Grants.

State Aid/Subsidy Control

State Aid is the financial support given to businesses by Government. The nature of the State Aid rules have changed as the country has now left the European Union.

Fareham Borough Council must be satisfied that all State Aid and Subsidy Control requirements have been fully met and complied with when making grant payments. If you are unsure whether the rules apply to you, please see this further guidance.

Regional financial business support

The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in partnership with Crowdfunder, has launched a new fund targeted at small and micro businesses. There is a maximum pledge of up to £2,000 per micro business (fewer than 10 employees) and up to £5,000 per small business (fewer than 50 employees), contributing to up to 50% towards the business's total fund-raising target.

There is a new 'Coronavirus' hub on the Solent LEP website detailing all of the available information about support for local businesses Coronavirus information from the Solent LEP External Hyperlink .

National financial business support

There are a number of national financial support schemes designed to help businesses during the pandemic. You can find out if your business is eligible using the Business Support Finder tool External Hyperlink .

Expressions of interest for future grants

If you are a Fareham-based business, but are not eligible for any of the grants which are currently open, please register your interest here to be informed if future grants become available.

Call our Grants Helpline

If you are not sure if your business is eligible for any of these schemes then please call our Grants Helpline on 01329 824430 or email us at brgrants@fareham.gov.uk. The helpline is open on weekdays between 8:45am and 5.15pm.