Local Lockdown Grant

It has been announced by the Government that a new grant has been approved for organisations in England who must close as a result of local lockdown measures.

The support comes as some organisations continue to suffer due to the rising cases of coronavirus in their geographical areas which leads to more stringent measures being implemented across the area. Depending on the severity of the coronavirus issue in the area, some organisations have been asked to close, namely those in the hospitality and leisure industries.

Most recently, the citizens of Bolton – a Great Manchester town – were placed under local lockdown rules on 9 September, including some organisational restrictions as follows:

  • all hospitality venues (restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs) are restricted to providing a takeaway-only service
  • late night restriction of operating hours meaning all venues, including takeaways, will be required to close between 10pm to 5am

This new grant will not yet apply to Bolton or most other cities and towns across England. This is because a trial scheme is ongoing in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, and Oldham only. If it is rolled out across the country, the new funding will consist of a grant of up to £1,500 paid every three weeks for as long as the restrictions apply.

Larger organisations will be given £1,500 every three weeks that they are forced to close, whilst smaller organisations will be given £1,000 every three weeks. ‘Every three weeks’ means that an initial payment will account for an initial three-week lockdown period, whilst further payments will be made on each new three-week lockdown period necessary. The amounts received by both big and small organisations will be taxable as income tax.

The only eligibility criteria for the grant is for organisations to have been asked to close due to local restrictions being implemented in their local area, except the organisations who have not been able to reopen since before the national lockdown measure was introduced – such as nightclubs. For those who are eligible, the Government has placed the responsibility for distributing the grant to Local Authorities who may be able to set further eligibility criteria of their own.

Organisations who are eligible for this payment will not be prevented from receiving further support from other government initiatives such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and more.

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