BUSINESSES required to close due to the latest coronavirus restrictions will continue to receive grant support, BCP Council has confirmed.

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) is a mandatory scheme aimed at ratepaying businesses that are required to close during periods of local or national restrictions.

Businesses that have already received LRSG support for the previous November lockdown will automatically receive addendum payments and do not need to apply.

The level of grants support that will be awarded is dependent on the rateable value of each business and will be issued for each 14-day period of closure.

Furthermore, the Additional Restrictions Support Grant (ARG) scheme is also open to business applications.

Stream 1 is currently open to businesses not on the rating list that were mandated to close or businesses that were severely impacted by closures during the last national lockdown period.

Applications for this initial support will close on January 15. It will then be replaced with a new stream of support for those now again mandated to close during the latest lockdown.

Stream 2 is open to local priority businesses in the night-time economy, events, aerospace, travel, cultural and international visitor industries. This will also close to applications on January 15.

Councillor Philip Broadhead, portfolio holder for economy, said: “We appreciate that the current lockdown restrictions will have a major impact on our local business community which has already faced significant hardships throughout 2020, however I assure you that grant support remains available.

“I am also pleased to see that the Government has announced further funding to assist businesses through the difficult months ahead and that we will have some discretion to issue grants to those most in need.

“We will provide further information as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would like to reaffirm our commitment that we will do everything we can to support our local businesses into the new year and urge you to apply for the funding that is already available.’’

For more information visit bcpcouncil.gov.uk/financialsupport