Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans there are to process applications and payments of Small Business Grants delayed where decisions from the Valuation Office Agency were still outstanding at 30 October 2020.

The Government has put forward an unprecedented package of support for businesses to help with ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This included the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF), the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF) and the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF).

We asked Local Authorities to close the SBGF, RHLGF and LADGF schemes by 28 August 2020, and to ensure that, where any payments were still in process, they were completed by 30 September. The only exceptions were those relating to a VOA / Ombudsman query in which case payments could be made until 30 October. The schemes are now closed.

Local Authorities have also been provided with further funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). The ARG is a discretionary scheme which is formula based. Eligibility for the ARG is set locally, and guidance makes clear that Local Authorities may use this funding for grants or for other related business support as they see fit.