Second round of discretionary business grants opens

On August 3, Birmingham City Council (BCC) will open a second round of Discretionary Business Grants, allowing businesses to apply for grant support of up to £25,000.

There are three levels of grant available; Level 1, grants of less than £10,000; Level 2, grants of £10,000; and Level 3, grants of £25,000, which will be determined based on the loss of income suffered by a business as a discrete result of COVID-19 and ongoing fixed commercial property costs.

A grant does not need to be repaid by a business.  However, should checks discover that payments have been made in error or have been claimed as a result of fraud, then recovery action will be needed.   Only one grant is awarded per business, not per property.

Factors BCC will consider when reviewing your application

• Has the business suffered at least a 30% loss in trading income?
• What are the ongoing fixed commercial property costs which the business pays?

You will be required to attach evidence of loss of income in support of your grant claim, so we strongly recommend that you obtain this in advance of completing the online application form.  Failure to submit evidence with your application will result in delays to the grant funding decision and possible rejection of your submission.

Type of evidence BCC will consider

This is not an exhaustive list, but gives you an indication of the type of evidence which will be considered in support of your grant request:

• 7 months Full Bank Statements (Excel spreadsheets and Word Documents are not acceptable)
• Staff headcount (i e payroll or HR print out that proves the number of employees (required only if your business employs more than 40 full time staff)

Types of eligible ongoing fixed commercial property costs:

• Lease/Rental or Tenancy Agreements
• Mortgage Payments (showing evidence of the proportion applied to your business)
• Business Rates (these will still be considered even if you have received business rates relief)
• Service Charges
• Licence
• Building & Contents Insurance
• Utility Bills
• Broadband
• Storage costs
• Any other ongoing fixed commercial property costs that a business incurs on an annual basis

Applications for the Discretionary Business Grants open on August 3. For more information and to apply click here.