News Only six days left to apply for discretionary grant
There are now only six days left for charities and small businesses to apply for a one off non-repayable cash grant from Maidstone Borough Council which closes on Monday 8 June.
Stephen McGinnes, Mid Kent Services Director at Maidstone Borough Council said:
“We have received 191 applications for the new Local Authority Discretionary Grant scheme so far and each one will be considered against the criteria.“This grant is to help support charities and small businesses struggling to meet their fixed building related costs during Covid-19. Even people in receipt of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) can apply now, as government has revised the guidance.
“So far only 20 charities have applied and we are sure many more could qualify. We are asking anyone who thinks they meet the criteria to complete the online form as soon as possible as it closes on 8 June.
“We need to quickly get the grant out to those charities and businesses in need which is why we have such tight timescales. All applications will be verified and considered before any decisions are made and grants will be paid from Monday 15 June.”
This grant is to try and help those businesses and charities that haven’t qualified for previous government grants during these difficult times.
The scheme is primarily aimed at helping those not eligible for other forms of government support, such as local charities that have their offices within the borough, small businesses operating in a shared workspace, as well as bed and breakfast businesses that pay Council Tax.
The Council has received £1.4million in funding from Government to support businesses and expects grants to reflect the level of support needed, (each application will be considered according to need – with most awards expected to be under £10,000).
All applications will be verified and considered before any decisions are made, with grants paid from Monday 15 June.
All businesses applying for the grant will need to meet the following criteria:
* Businesses with ongoing fixed building-related costs
* Businesses which can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis
* Small businesses as defined by the Company Act 2006
* Businesses that were trading on 11th March
* Businesses which occupy property, or part of a property, with a rateable value or annual rent or annual mortgage payments below £51,000