East Hampshire businesses that can demonstrate a loss of income because of coronavirus have until midnight on Sunday (23 January) to apply for an Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).
These grants are primarily aimed at businesses that have been significantly financially impacted due to the Government’s response in December 2021 to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, introducing international travel restrictions and implementing the government’s Plan B restrictions.
The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme remains open, and applications will be accepted until midnight on Monday 28 February.
Some business that may believe they will qualify for the OHLG (as hospitality, leisure, or entertainment-related businesses) are excluded under the terms of the grant.
Examples of those excluded businesses are retailers, tour operators, gyms, and sports businesses - where physical exercise or training is provided on an individual or group basis - and personal services such as beauty parlours, hairdressers or spas.
These businesses should not miss the opportunity to apply for an ARG.
Councillor Charles Louisson – East Hampshire District Council portfolio holder for Finance, said:
“The ARG scheme is discretionary and as such we can be more flexible in who we award grants to. The OHLG scheme has much tighter criteria, set by the government, that we must follow.
“I encourage any business that took a financial hit over the festive period to visit our website and see if they are eligible.
“With the government looking at continuing to lift coronavirus-related restrictions, this is likely to be the final round of ARG grants available.”
Find out more and apply for an Additional Restrictions Grant.