Business not eligible for support feel "ignored"

One business said they've not been able to get any help from the Government because they are in a shared building.

Some of the firms affected have told Fosse 107 their businesses may not survive the coronavirus pandemic because they won't get government support. 

Small Business Grants of £10,000 are available to businesses that already get rate relief from the local authority.

To qualify businesses must receive Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR) but businesses in multi-tenanted buildings (which don't pay business rates) have been told they will not qualify if the unit they occupy does not have it's own SBBR code. Often office blocks have one code covering the whole building. 

David Kemp runs a photography firm in Hinckley and doesn't qualify for any grant because his business is in a converted factory which has been separated into office units. 

All of his work is on hold because of the pandemic and he thought he'd be eligible for help from. 

David told Fosse 107, "I'm devastated. I'm annoyed. The Government seem to have ignored a substantial number of businesses in this country."

He said, "We've lost all of the customers we had planned in March and April but also we get a lot of business from doing shows so we've lost new business as well. So not only have we lost the business we had but the future business as well. I will have to make a decision during May whether we close the business permanently and I list myself as an unemployed person." 

Sarah Camp runs Weird Lime Ltd, a marketing firm in Desford. Her office is in a shared complex but she pays separate rent and has a separate tenancy agreement. She has been told she will have to share her £10,000 grant with the business next door.

She said: "It was a shock when we found out we had to split our grant.  A lot of our campaigns we have been running have been paused. It's a lot tougher than we thought it would be and to be honest i think it's unprecedented times for everyone." 

Sarah says it will be difficult to carry on, even with half of the grant. "Talking to other businesses, we're all in the same boat, there is other things out there that are more worrying which is health and safety of people and that's paramount, parallel to that is business survival, our business is our cashflow into our home."

We approached Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to find out how many businesses were in a similar situation but they were unable to provide us with a figure. 

In a statement, a spokesperson from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council said: "We have been approached by a number of businesses who are concerned that they will not receive a government grant because their business does not meet the eligibility criteria set by central government. It is a worrying situation for these businesses and while we share their concerns, it can only be remedied at a national level." 

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council said it had already taken action on behalf of those businesses who are not currently eligible for support from the Government and raised the issue with the local MP Luke Evans. 

HBBC said "We have made representations to national government through the District Councils Network in a bid to help our local businesses survive these extraordinary times." 

As of the 17th April, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council had paid out 916 grants to small and large businesses of over £10.6M.

Charnwood Borough Council is contacting 1243 business who haven't yet applied for a grant. More than £19.2million has been paid to more than half of the eligible businesses in the Borough. 

North West Leicestershire District Council says it is paying out £1million per day to businesses that qualify for help. 

If your business is affected by this story, please get in touch with Fosse 107 to tell us more.  Email news@fosse107.co.uk