Grants launched to help closed businesses in Oldham

Businesses which have been legally required to close as a result of local or national restrictions can now apply for a business grant.

Oldham Council has launched an online application form and eligible businesses can now submit their details to receive funding from the Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme.

The amount of money businesses will receive is dependent on the rateable value of the property:

• Properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under - grants of £1,334 per four weeks of closure.
• Properties with a rateable value over £15,000 and below £51,000 - grants of £2,000 per four weeks of closure.
• Properties with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 and over - grants of £3,000 per four weeks of closure.

In Oldham, pubs which do not serve food, bingo halls, betting shops, soft play, casinos and adult gaming centres had to close on 23 October. These businesses will have their grants back dated (pro-rata) to this date.

Venues which have remained closed since the national lockdown in March including nightclubs and adult entertainment venues will also receive backdated payments from 1 November, when the scheme began.

All other eligible non-essential businesses which are legally required to close as a result of the national restrictions will be paid for the four weeks from 5 November to 2 December to cover the period of the national lockdown.

Cllr Abdul Jabbar, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Green, said: “We know this year has been incredibly difficult for local businesses, who were just starting to get back on their feet and are now facing further uncertainty. Thank you for putting the health of others first and for your patience whilst we awaited government guidance on the business grants scheme.

“If you are eligible please apply and we will process payments as quickly as possible – prioritising those businesses which have been closed the longest wherever we can.

“If your business does meet the criteria for a payment, more grant schemes are due to be announced in the coming days and we will publicise these as soon as we can.”

In addition to the Local Restrictions Support Grant for closed businesses, the government has also announced the Local Restrictions Support Grant to help support certain businesses who were open from August until 5 November, the start of the national lockdown, and severely impacted by local Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions, such as the hospitality and leisure sector.

A Greater Manchester Discretionary Fund will also be launched soon with criteria to be agreed at a local level. More details on the discretionary schemes will be announced soon. 

To support workers, the furlough scheme has also been extended to the end of March 2021 and employees will receive 80 per cent of their usual salary for hours worked, up to £2,500 per month. Visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support for details of all business support available.