Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what process his Department has in place to ensure that local authorities adhere to Government guidance on the distribution of grants to businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has provided Local Authorities with detailed guidance and FAQs to support them in distributing Small Business Grants, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants, and Discretionary Grants to eligible businesses.

In addition, BEIS has conducted periodic live streams with the 314 Local Authorities administering the schemes, to highlight any additions to the guidance and to allow Local Authorities to ask questions, which in turn are captured in the FAQs. BEIS has an active Working Group of Local Authorities, the LGA, CIPFA and IRRV that is a forum for testing how a range of Local Authorities are applying the guidance in practice.

It is up to Local Authorities to apply the guidance on these grants.