Bassetlaw MP: Authorities must ensure all charities get the financial help they need during lockdown

Like all organisations and of course many businesses, they face ongoing costs and these are becoming increasingly difficult to cover whilst the UK is in lockdown.

There are two existing business grants schemes have helped support many thousands of small businesses, with £7.5 billion worth of grants given out nationally and around £28.8 million allocated to Bassetlaw.

However, there are many small businesses which are facing high fixed costs and are finding themselves excluded from the existing grants schemes.

In some cases, this is because the way they interact with the current business rates system means they are not eligible.

To help those caught in this situation, the Government has allocated additional funding to Local Authorities in the form of a discretionary grant fund of up to £617 miilion.

This gives local councils the chance to use their local knowledge to identify the businesses which they believe most need help.

Bassetlaw Council will be able to create their own process for these grants, which are up to £25,000 each, as well as smaller grants for £10,000 and a further option of providing grants under £10,000 at their own discretion.

In other words, they will be able to decide for themselves.

Certain types of businesses will be a priority.

These could include businesses in shared offices; regular market traders without their own business rates assessment; B&Bs which pay council tax instead of business rates; and charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund has already helped many small businesses in this situation, but Bassetlaw Council can choose to make discretionary grants to businesses in the supply chains of these sectors if they feel there is a particular local economic need.

If you feel this describes your business then please get in touch.

One obstacle charities face long term is the discount they normally receive for their business rates.

They are entitled to an 80 per cent discount on these, but local authorities then make their own decision about the other 20 per cent.

Many local authorities do give them this, but in some cases charities miss out and face huge bills.

Under normal circumstances, Bassetlaw Hospice would face a bill of almost £4,000 (I personally don’t think hospices should be paying anything) and North Notts Arena, a fantastic local community resource in Worksop, would face a whopping £15,300 charge.

Charitable organisations need all the help they can get and I hope these charges will be reviewed.