HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES URGED TO APPLY FOR OMICRON GRANTS BEFORE WINDOW CLOSES THIS MONTH
Licensing and leisure property specialists are urging eligible hospitality businesses to ensure they apply for Government grants before the deadline later this month, grants of up to £6,000 to offset some of the impact that Omicron had on their operations are available.
Harris Lamb’s dedicated hospitality businesses rates team warned that pubs, restaurants and hotels have just a fortnight left to apply for the one-off grants.
The grant was announced on December 21st last year, as the country was locked in the wave of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the virus, resulting in many pubs closing their doors during the festive period due to mass cancellations and to ensure staff’s wellbeing.
The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant will support hospitality, leisure and accommodation business premises with one-off grants of up to £6,000 but must be applied for before March 18th.
According to the grant terms, hospitality businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or over on December 30th 2021 will receive a payment of £6,000. Those with a rateable value of £15,000 or under on December 30th will receive a payment of £2,667, while businesses with rateable values over £15,000 and less than £51,000 at that point will be awarded a £4,000 payment.
Businesses must have been trading on December 30th to be eligible to receive funding under this scheme.
Victoria Trafford, Director of Harris Lamb’s Licensed and Leisure Rating Service, said: “The past two years have presented challenge after challenge for the sector and while all Covid restrictions have now been lifted pubs and restaurants face supply shortages and hikes in energy and food costs. Many managed to keep their heads above water throughout the pandemic, falling at the final hurdle, and we are extremely anxious that any business that hasn’t claimed the latest support grant available to them to help does so immediately.
“December is a crucial trading period for any hospitality business, and 2021 brought high hopes after the 2020 ‘tiers’ format that saw many pubs and hotels banned from opening. Thankfully, the Omicron variant had a less devastating effect on the sector but there was still a huge financial impact due to the highly infectious nature of the variant and the natural reluctance of staff and guests to risk derailing another Christmas by socialising.
“Whilst these grants will not in any way reimburse the true losses that businesses suffered over this time, they make an important contribution and it is essential that those eligible apply for them and claim what they are entitled to in order to proceed with plans for what is shaping up to be a much more enjoyable year for the sector,” she added.
The team is happy to provide support in navigating the grants process. Enquiries should be directed to Victoria Trafford and James Ward at pubrating@harrislamb.com.