Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to enable businesses that have applied for and not been awarded covid-19 grant funding by their local authority to appeal the interpretation by that local authority of Government guidance on awarding that funding.

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

There is no process run by central Government to enable businesses to appeal the decisions made by Local Authorities regarding grant applications. If a business has concerns regarding their application for a grant or their Local Authority’s interpretation of Government guidance, they should contact their Local Authority.