Businesses in East Cambridgeshire which lost significant trade because of the Omicron variant are being encouraged to check if they are eligible for a one-off COVID grant of up to £6000.

Hairdressers, mobile caterers, beauticians and taxi drivers are among the list of businesses that could be eligible for the eighth round of the Additional Restrictions Grant which is being administered on behalf of the Government by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Specifically, the discretionary grant is available to support businesses that can demonstrate they have lost more than 30% of income because of the coronavirus restrictions and the rise of the Omicron variant between 13 December 2021 and 9 January 2022.

To be eligible businesses must operate in the following sectors:

• Travel and tourism, for example, tour operators, travel agents and English Language schools
• Personal care, for example, beauticians, hairdressers, gyms and sports-related activities
• Supply chain business, for example, wedding organisers, brewers, mobile caterers, food kiosks, catteries, kennels and taxi drivers
• Non-business rate payers who operate in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors. Note: Businesses which are eligible for, or have received the new government Omicron Hospitality and Leisure grant, are NOT eligible to apply.

Businesses must also be able to demonstrate they were operating at the time, have ongoing fixed business costs and were open and providing services to customers.

They must also be able to demonstrate one or more of the following:

·        The public are required to enter the business premises to purchase goods/services.

·        That trade has dropped due to an inability to deliver consumer services (that cannot be delivered online) to customers due to coronavirus restrictions and the rise of the Omicron variant.

·        They supply/trade with businesses that have been impacted by coronavirus restrictions and the rise of the Omicron variant.

·        Their supplier/s were impacted by coronavirus restrictions and the rise of the Omicron variant.

·        Businesses in the events sector who can demonstrate that they have lost income due to not being able to attend events due to be held from 13 December 2021 – 9 January 2022.

Businesses will be required to provide evidence of their fixed property costs, business related costs and loss of income. 

Councillor David Brown, Chairman of the Finance and Assets Committee, said: “The package is designed to support businesses in East Cambridgeshire which have lost a significant proportion of their income over the Christmas period because of the Omicron variant.

“As a Council we have done everything in our power to support businesses through an incredibly difficult time and this grant scheme is another avenue of help available for some of those sectors that are among the hardest hit.

“I would encourage all East Cambs businesses in the eligible sectors to make use of this vital funding by checking the criteria and applying.”

Applications are restricted to one per person per premises. Eligible businesses that have applied for other grants should also check they have not exceeded the subsidy allowances for the COVID-19 Business Grants Scheme.

The closing date for applications is 5 pm on Friday 11 February 2022 or earlier if all funding is awarded before this date.

More information, including eligibility and the application form, can be found on the Council’s website.