Latest Discretionary Covid Support Grant Applications Process Now Open to Non Rate Paying Hospitality and Leisure Businesses in Reading

HOSPITALITY and leisure businesses in Reading are being invited to apply for further Covid grants to support them through the Omicron outbreak.

Reading Borough Council is offering grants of either £6,000, £4,000 or £2,667 - dependent on the number of employees - to help eligible businesses which have been badly hit over the pre/post-Christmas period.

Non rate paying businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector, or businesses that are ancillary to leisure and hospitality and open to the public to provide in person services, are eligible for the latest round of funding. Examples include mobile leisure and hospitality such as event businesses, or those whose business relies on the hospitality trade, like the taxi trade.

Businesses must be located within the Reading Borough boundary, have been trading on December 30 2021 and declare that they were adversely affected by Covid 19 Plan B guidance and the rise in Covid cases, to be eligible for funding. Businesses eligible for the Omicron Leisure and Hospitality Grant are not eligible for this latest round of grants.

The level of grant businesses can apply for is determined by the number of employees and is also subject to change dependent on the number of eligible applications. Businesses with more than 50 employees can apply for a £6,000 grant. Firms with between 10 and 49 employees can apply for a £4,000 grant with businesses with nine or less employees eligible to apply for a £2,667 grant.

Local hospitality and leisure businesses in Reading that think they may be eligible are asked to submit an application form online at Additional Restrictions Grant - Reading Borough Council . The deadline for applications is Thursday 10 February 2022.

Support is also available for rate-paying hospitality and leisure businesses in Reading through the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant. An application can be submitted online at Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant - Reading Borough Council

Reading Borough Council Leader Jason Brock said:

“Reading is a modern, thriving town where the hospitality and leisure industry accounts for a significant portion of the local economy. There is no doubt that the Omicron variant, particularly through December and January, has had a huge impact on local businesses as residents understandably changed their habits and showed caution. It that context – and to help ensure the ongoing vitality of Reading’s economy for the benefit of all residents and visitors – it’s right that we make funds available for those businesses in the sector that were not able to access the Government’s Omicron Leisure and Hospitality Grant.

“It is important now that businesses eligible for this latest round of grants submit their applications within a two week window. More information on businesses which may be eligible can be found on the Council’s website.

“Since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, Reading Borough Council has handed out more than £52m in grants to local businesses, which have been a lifeline for many. Once approved, the Council will aim to distribute this latest round of grants as swiftly as possible.”

The Decision Book outlining the Council’s latest scheme can be found at https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=667