The Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant has been set up to provide direct grants to predominantly hospitality and leisure businesses that have been severely financially impacted by the Omicron variant and have not been eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.

Eligibility

To qualify for a grant, businesses must:

• not be eligible for or have already received the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
• be within the hospitality and leisure sector or amongst those specified in point 1.1 of the scheme document
• have been adversely impacted by the Omicron variant through a reduction in business income of at least 25% or more. This 25% reduction applies to any continuous 4 week period between 8 December 2021 and 27 January 2022 compared to any other continuous 4 week period in 2021
• have not already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State aid permitted under the de minimis and the COVID-19 Temporary State Aid Framework
• not be in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made
• wholly trade from an address within the BCP Council area (mobile businesses must have residency in the BCP Council area.

How much support eligible businesses will receive

Businesses will only be eligible for a maximum of one grant. Where multiple businesses share directors and premises, only one grant application will be considered.

The payment amounts per business will be determined based on their number of employees.

The final amounts will be calculated once all applications have been received and assessed. Our estimate is that grants will range from £1000 - £4000 per business.

Recent clarifications have been added regarding eligible businesses, full details can be found in the scheme document.

Exclusions

Exclusions apply to businesses that:

• are eligible for or have already received an Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
• do not fall within the hospitality and leisure sector (unless specified in point 1.1 of the scheme document)
• have not been adversely impacted by the Omicron variant through a reduction in business income of at least 25% or more.
• have exceeded the UK’s subsidy arrangements
• are in administration, are insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made
• do not operate from a Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole premises.

Additionally some types of business will not be considered to claim from this scheme, these include:

• self-catering holiday accommodation
• retail businesses
• taxi drivers
• taxi companies
• takeaways
• rate paying hair and beauty businesses
• beach huts
• driving schools (includes self-employed instructors).

Subsidies and EU State Aid

Grants under this Scheme will be given under one of the Subsidy Allowances. In calculating allowance limits, applicants are required to include any other De Minimis state aid or aid received under the EU Commission Temporary Framework for State Aid published on 19 March 2020.

The applicant will be required to declare to the Council if they have received any other State Aid or Subsidy Allowances.

The applicant may receive a grant under this Scheme using one of the following Subsidy Allowances.

Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance

Applicants may receive financial assistance of up to £335,000 in any three year period, calculated over the current year and the two previous ones.

Covid-19 Business Grant Allowance

Applicants may receive financial assistance of up to £1,600,000. This allowance includes grants previously received under the Covid-19 business grant schemes and any State Aid previously received under the EU Commission’s Temporary Framework.

Covid-19 Business Grant Special Allowance

If the applicant has reached its limit under the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and the Covid-19 Business Grant Allowance, it may be able to access a further allowance of funding. The applicant must meet a number of conditions before any subsidy can be received.

Enquiries

Please read the eligibility criteria and the scheme document carefully before contacting us with queries.

No applications will be considered for assessment after the deadline of 28 February 2022.

Applications should be submitted without delay, if you need to contact us please get in touch. However, please be aware that we cannot guarantee a timely response due to limited capacity in our team.