£18million fund to help Hartlepool businesses through crisis - here's how to apply

Almost £18million could be made available to businesses in Hartlepool in grant funding - but council chiefs have urged those eligible they need to get in touch to get the support.

Hartlepool Borough Council has written to around 1,500 businesses who are eligible to receive small business grant funding to support them in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

Even after the millions paid out to 685 businesses in the town already, around 800 businesses are still eligible for support from a pot totalling around £10million.

It comes after the Government announced last month business rates support and grant funding intended to help the most-affected firms manage their cash flow through this period.

Council leader Coun Shane Moore said supporting Hartlepool companies during this period is a ‘top priority’ for the council and the measures set out show Hartlepool Borough Council will support businesses ‘as best they can through this turbulent time’.

He said: “These grants are intended to help businesses meet costs until other Government support is available.

“These grants can be used to meet fixed costs, such as property rent and property insurance, to pay supplier invoices, or pay wages if your business is experiencing cash flow problems.

“These grants can also be used to pay wages if you have agreed with your employees that they will be furloughed and you are waiting to claim this money back from the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.”

Payments will be processed by the council as soon as they receive forms and in particular the necessary bank account details.

For example, where officers have already received a reply, payments will be processed on Thursday April 2 will see businesses receiving money in their account by Monday April 6.

Council bosses urged those who have not responded yet they need to visit www.hartlepool.gov.uk/smallbusinessgrant and fill out a form.

Chris Little, director of finance and policy at Hartlepool Borough Council, said they are keen to process payments as quickly as possible, but need the required details.

He said: “We’ve written to all eligible businesses but unfortunately we haven’t received forms back from some.

“It isn’t too late to get in touch and I would encourage businesses that haven’t yet responded to fill out an e-form at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/smallbusinessgrant

“We really want to process payments as quickly as we can, but if we don’t have some basic information the Government requires – in particular bank account details – we are unable to release the funds.”

The grants and support come from the Government and are being administered by the council.

It was previously reported around 1,300 Hartlepool businesses could apply for Small Business Rate Relief grants which have increased from £3,000 to £10,000.

Meanwhile approximately 220 town retail, hospitality, leisure businesses and childcare providers and nurseries will not have to pay business rates for the next 12 months.

Grants of up to £25,000 were also announced for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from smaller premises, with a rateable value over £15,000 and below £51,000.

The schemes

There are two schemes - the first scheme supports small businesses with a rateable value of up to £15,000 who occupied their business premises on 11th March 2020. These business are eligible for a grant of £10,000.

The second scheme supports retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.

Those businesses occupying business premises with a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 on 11th March 2020 will be eligible for a grant of £10,000.

Those businesses occupying business premises with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less that £51,000 on 11th March 2020 will be eligible for a grant of £25,000.

To claim these grants, eligible businesses just need to complete a simple application form, which can be found at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/smallbusinessgrant

Completing the form is the quickest way for Hartlepool Borough to process grant applications. If you have any problems please contact us on (01429) 284277.

Once this form is completed, the council will not require any further information of how individual businesses spend these grants.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that the default position is that these grants would be liable for tax, as are the business costs this grant is supporting.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will manage the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and make payments to individual businesses.

The HMRC website says the online service to submit furlough claims will be available by the end of April 2020.

The scheme is open to all UK employers and applies to furloughed employees who had been on a businesses’ payroll on 28 February 2020.

Claims can be backed dated to 1st March 2020 and are limited to the lower of 80% of an individual employees’ salary, or £2,500 per month.

Employees will still continue to pay tax and national insurance.

Further information can be found on the HMRC website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

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