Eligible firms in Swindon are now able to apply for the Discretionary Grant Fund provided by the Government in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding will allow some small businesses in the town who have not previously been eligible for other government grant schemes to access critical support.

The Government has advised that the money in this funding pot should be prioritised for the following types of businesses:

  • Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces
  • Regular market traders with fixed building costs and street trading licences
  • Bed & Breakfasts that pay Council Tax instead of business rates
  • Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rate relief in properties with low rateable assessments

Any business that has received or is eligible for other COVID-19 government grant schemes, including the Small Business Grant or Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant, is not eligible for this discretionary funding.

The eligibility criteria, guidance and a link to the application form can be found on the Council’s website at www.swindon.gov.uk/covidbusiness and any business which believes it might be eligible for this discretionary funding should apply before the deadline at 9pm on 21 June.

Once all applications have been received, they will be assessed against the eligibility criteria and a decision will be taken as to whether funding can be awarded and how much. The amount paid will be dependent on the firm’s loss, income and the number of applications received by the Council to ensure that as many eligible applicants are supported as possible.

Councillor David Renard, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “Although the previous grant funding supported over 2,000 businesses in Swindon, we know there are still some who weren’t eligible for these schemes. Therefore, I am pleased that the Government has provided us with this grant funding which we can distribute to help more local businesses.

“We know that COVID-19 has posed some real challenges for businesses, but we will continue to work with partners to do all we can to support them through these unsettling times.”