Liverpool City Region Local Business Support Grant (February 2021)

The Window for applications is open from 10.00 am Wednesday 10th February 2021 and closes 5.00 pm Friday 26th February 2021.

• All businesses must be a small or micro business (as defined in Section 33 Part 2 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and the Companies Act 2006) and be able to accept the grant under State Aid rules.
• All businesses must still be trading on 1 February 2021 (i.e. not a dormant company).
• No business may make a claim against more than one category of the Local Business Support Grant.
• All businesses must be based in the Liverpool city region and have been trading on or before 31 October 2020.
• All businesses must employ 1 or more people (a sole director, or self-employed counts as 1 staff employee).
• A business is not eligible if it has previously received a Hospitality and Leisure Grant from Round 1 or Hospitality, Leisure and Retail Grant (Expanded Scheme) Round 2; or has received or is eligible for a Taxi Driver’s Grant or a Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) from its Local Authority.
• A business is not eligible if it has been subject to Covid-19, environmental health or planning enforcement prosecution (by the police or any other authority) since 1 April 2020

• Businesses that have been ordered to close (as from 5 January 2021), are not in the business rates system, are based in commercial premises, and not eligible for Local Restrictions Grant (Closed).
• Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sector or supply chain that either pay business rates or have commercial property related costs.
• Self-employed / sole trader / home based business (that predominantly works in or supplies the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors) / licensed market trader.
• Businesses in any sector that can demonstrate a loss of at least 40% in sales/revenue due to Covid-19 (including self-employed / sole trader / home-based businesses). The grant funding in this category aims to help small and micro businesses in any sector that are not eligible for other grant schemes and that are struggling with a loss of sales/revenue in the current financial year due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

For the purposes of this scheme (which is funded through the Additional Restrictions Grant or Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), a business is considered to be trading if it is engaged in business activity. This is interpreted as where the primary purpose is “carrying on a trade or profession or buying and selling goods or services in order to generate turnover”. To evidence the loss in sales/revenue of at least 40% and to show trading on or before 31 October 2020, a statement from a qualified, independent accountant using the proforma located via the website.