Issue - meetings

Discretionary business grants

Meeting: 27/05/2020 - Executive, Resources and Contracts Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee (Item 11)

11 DISCRETIONARY BUSINESS GRANTS pdf icon PDF 319 KB

Minutes:

Report HPR2020/011

 

The report sought approval for officers to distribute the government grant funding for businesses in line with locally defined government criteria in addition to the local eligibility criteria. Council officers had spoken to members of the business community and other London local authorities during the development of the criteria.

 

Central Government (through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) had confirmed further grant funding for businesses, to be distributed by Local Authorities at their discretion. Guidance had been provided and at the time of writing the report a further technical note to inform local decision making was expected which had been received by the time the Committee considered the report.  The amount of funding for distribution in the Borough of Bromley would be £2.4m. The Government had identified a set of business types that should benefit from the scheme, which largely recognised those that would have missed out on the previous Business Rate grant funding:

 

·  Small businesses in shared offices or flexible workspaces, including units in larger complexes.

·  Regular market traders with fixed property costs.

·  Bed and breakfasts that pay Council tax instead of business rates

·  Charity properties in receipt of charitable rate relief.

 

In addition Bromley Council would specifically include park cafes within its advertised list of eligible business types as quality green spaces was a Council priority. Park cafes normally did not pay business rates and therefore would have been excluded from the previous grant funding available.

 

The Committee noted that the Government had placed a cap on the level of funding available and as such the Council had to work within the financial envelop of £2.4m.

 

In opening the debate, with reference to the local eligibility criteria, the Vice-Chairman suggested that the criteria should refer to “salaried” internships to ensure that interns and apprentices were paid the national minimum wage or more, not simply expenses.  It was agreed that the Committee would make this recommendation to the Leader.

 

Members noted that in order to be eligible for the grant, businesses would have to meet at least two out of the five local eligibility criteria.  The local eligibility criteria that were proposed were to ensure that the businesses who contributed the most to the Borough would benefit from the grant finding that was available.

 

In response to a question concerning whether the Council would be able to reclaim administration costs from the Government, the Assistant Director for Culture and Regeneration confirmed that the guidance that had recently been received indicated that new burdens placed on local authorities would be funded however the details of this and the level of any funding was as yet unclear.  The £2.4m grant funding would go in its entirety to businesses operating in the Borough.  Members noted that Discretionary Business Grants would largely be administered by Liberata on behalf of the Council.  Bromley staff would be providing support to businesses applying for the grant.

 

Members noted that a number of businesses across the Borough were already aware of the grant.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11