Cornwall Council has launched the application process for the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme, aimed at businesses which have been forced to close or limit trading during the current coronavirus lockdown.??

Cornwall has been allocated £11.5m by the?Government for the scheme, designed to support businesses who are not eligible for other forms of?financial?support and have fixed ongoing costs such as rent or mortgage payments,?loans or lease agreements for capital equipment?or?rental of workspaces.

Businesses have until 23.59pm on Sunday, January 31, to apply for a one-off grant.

Read more about eligibility for the Additional Restrictions Grant and the amount of grant support available

Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for economy, said: “Our priority is those eligible businesses which have not yet been able to claim any other grant, or the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

“We want to make a difference to the Cornish businesses hardest hit by loss of income because of lockdown, who have also struggled because of a lack of targeted Government support. We know many of them have fallen between the cracks and we want to put that right.”

Local Restrictions Support Grant

Cornwall Council continues to pay out vital grant support to businesses affected by changes in tier restrictions and the current national lockdown. The Council was one of the first local authorities in the country to pass on Government grants to Cornwall’s businesses during the lockdown which began in March 2020.

The Council has so far paid out £1.92m to more than 7,500 businesses which had to close when Cornwall moved to Tier 3 restrictions on Boxing Day. And around 12,000 businesses forced to close during the January lockdown will receive their first payments next week under the Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme as well as a Closed Business Lockdown Payment (one off grants of £4,000, £6,000 or £9,000).???

If you received a Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) payment following the November lockdown, you will not need to apply for the LRSG for the current lockdown period or a Closed Business Lockdown Payment.

Businesses will need to submit an application if they are:? ?

• Businesses which pay business rates and have been forced to close, but did not apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grants in?November 2020, will need to apply for this latest round of Local Restrictions Support Grants?and the?one-off?Closed Business Lockdown Payment (one off grants £4k-£9K)?
• Business rated businesses which were not required to?close, but?have been severely impacted?by the?change in tier?restrictions on December 26 when Cornwall entered Tier 2 and December 31 when Cornwall entered Tier 3 (December 26 to December 30 and December?31 to January 4).?The application form for this grant will be available on our website shortly.?

Read more about coronavirus business support

Please view the full Additional Restrictions Grant policy