Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what value of grants from the Discretionary Grant Fund have been awarded to (a) small businesses in shared offices or other flexible work spaces, (b) regular market traders with building costs, (c) bed and breakfast businesses and (d) charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates.
On 1 May, the Government announced up to £617 million available in the form of the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund to support certain small businesses that are not liable for business rates or rates relief and are therefore out of scope of the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. Local authorities were responsible for defining precise eligibility for the scheme in their area, subject to businesses meeting the national eligibility criteria set out in the guidance. Local authorities continue to pay grants to eligible businesses. We will publish data on Discretionary Grants Fund payments to businesses in due course and once all payments have been made. We do not receive management information from local authorities broken down by sector.