Additional restrictions grant

3 months of specialist support for ambitious entrepreneurs, with the tools to help your local business thrive and grow. Open to all types of businesses; you could be running a café, a corner shop, a local garage, florist or photography business!  

2 months of support designed for you to plan out the early days of building a business, what you need to do to get set up for success and to identify if your idea has legs. For anyone who has an idea for a venture but doesn’t know where to start or just needs a helping hand in understanding the basics of building a business.

6 month programme targeted at small and micro businesses working on developing their social, environmental and or economic impact.

A one month programme for businesses to access 16 plus hours of workshops designed to improve their ability to operate green and improve their credentials. All businesses will receive access to a custom green action plan, support towards the completion of a recognised green industry certification and 1 to 1 support towards the completion of a recognised green industry certification.

Micro and small businesses in Hackney will be able to access 7 hours of business advice with an expert. This might be through bespoke 1 to 1 support and advice provided by experienced business advisers to discuss your individual business needs, or via a number of masterclasses and networking events.

The programme will also enable eligible businesses to apply to receive a grant of up to £25,000 to help make adaptations come to life.

The Adapt Your Business programme is now closed, with approximately 40 grants given to Hackney SME’s and the masterclass programme underway.

Using Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding that the Council received from the Government, £500,000 has been made available for eligible businesses to deliver projects and initiatives that increase resident and business engagement in high streets, encourage spending in local shops and businesses and bolster the recovery and resilience of our high streets and town centres. Businesses can apply individually for up to £10,000, or in partnership with other businesses or other high street partners (e.g. local community groups, charities, voluntary and community sector organisations) for up to £50,000 for projects that will be delivered between April 2022 to December 2022.

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses in Hackney that were legally required to close between 5 November and 2 December 2020 (but are not business rate account holders) and for those businesses that were not legally required to close but have been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19.

If your business was legally required to close during the national lockdown period between 5 November and 2 December and you are a business rates account holder you should apply for a Local Restrictions Grant (Open) Addendum grant and not this grant.

Eligible businesses

The additional restrictions grant is a discretionary scheme. In order to qualify for the fund you must meet the following criteria:

• your business was legally required to close during the lockdown period between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but you are not a business rate account holder; or
• your business was not legally required to close between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but has been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19

For those businesses in the second category we encourage and will prioritise applications from businesses who supply the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, businesses in the events sector, market traders (who are registered market traders with the London Borough of Hackney), and Ofsted registered nurseries and childminders.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney operating from a commercial or domestic premises* or a London Borough of Hackney market trading pitch
  • *if your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises, then please provide your commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form
• your business is a micro or small business as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (ie your business must have at least two of the following; not more than 50 employees, a turnover of not more than £10.2 million and a balance sheet total of not more than £5.1m)
• your business must have been trading on the 4 November 2020, the day before the national lockdown came into effect
• your business is not in administration, insolvent or has a striking off notice made against it
• your business was legally required to close between 5 November and 2 December 2020 but you are not a business rate account holder; or your business was not legally required to close between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but has been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. For businesses in the second category you must demonstrate in your application form how your business has been severely impacted as a result of the lockdown restrictions
• your business is not eligible for the local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum grant
• the grant will not result in your business exceeding the maximum levels of State Aid. Grant payments count towards the total de minimis State Aid that you are permitted to receive over a 3-year period which is €200,000. If you have reached that threshold, you may still be eligible for funding under the Covid-19 Temporary Framework. The limit for the Temporary Framework is €800,000
• your business was not an undertaking in difficulty (within the meaning of Article 2 (18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019

The additional restrictions grant cannot be used to support wages or labour costs.

How much funding you will receive

For business rates account holders:

• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under on the date of the commencement of the national restrictions: £1334 per 28-day qualifying restriction period
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 on the date of the commencement of the national restrictions: £2000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above on the commencement date of the national restrictions: £3,000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period

For businesses without a business rates account who don’t pay business rates, the amount of grant will be based the size of your business, using the number of full-time equivalent employees, excluding the business owner/owners:

• businesses with 0 employees: up to £1,334 per 28-day qualifying restriction period
• businesses with 1- 4 employees: up to £2,000 per 28-day qualifying restrictions period
• businesses with 5-49 employees: up to £3000 per 28-day qualifying restrictions period

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you don’t provide these documents then your application is unlikely to be successful.

• 3 months business bank statements from September- November 2020 (inclusive): Please provide your business bank statements from September- November 2020 showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. If you cannot provide 3 months bank statements you must provide your November 2020 business bank statement
• business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill
• business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement or market trading licence: You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement, or London Borough of Hackney market trading licence. If you are unable to provide this you must upload another form of evidence setting out the ongoing fixed costs that your business has to pay (eg utility bills, storage fees)
• confirmation of the amount of employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed by your business. If a payroll record is not available please provide another form of evidence which verifies the number of people employed by your business
• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence
• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return
• evidence of the impact of the 5 November- 2 December lockdown on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the impact of the lockdown on your business. Your answer should set out if you were open or closed during this period, if you were able to trade online, the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees)

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses physically based in commercial premises or residential premises in Hackney that were either:

• a) legally required to close during the December 2020 tier restrictions and the national lockdown from 5 January 2021 onwards (but are not business rate account holders and therefore not eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant); or
• b) not legally required to close during the December tier restrictions or the current national lockdown but have been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19 (either with or without a Hackney business rates account).

For those businesses in the second category (b above) we encourage and will prioritise applications from businesses who supply and/or are related to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, businesses in the events sector, market traders (who are registered market traders with the London Borough of Hackney), and Ofsted registered nurseries and childminders.

If your business was legally required to close during the national lockdown starting in January and you are a Hackney business rates account holder you should apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grants and not this grant.

If you are unsure if your business was legally required to close by the government in December or January please review the documents below:

• December 2020: Tiers 1-4 restrictions and required business closures
• January 2021: National lockdown and required business closures

Exempt businesses: businesses based in virtual offices in Hackney who do not physically operate their business from a commercial or residential premises in the borough cannot receive a grant under this scheme.

The additional restrictions grant cannot be used to support staff wages or labour costs.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney physically operating from a commercial or domestic premises* or a London Borough of Hackney market trading pitch
  (*if your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are now working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises in Hackney, then please provide your usual commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form)
• your business is a micro or small business as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (ie your business must have at least two of the following; not more than 50 employees, a turnover of not more than £10.2 million and a balance sheet total of not more than £5.1m)
• your business must have been trading on the 1 December 2020, the day before the December tier restrictions came into effect
• your business is still considered to have been trading on the 1 December if it was an active business at this time, even if your business was closed to the public due to Government restrictions
• your business has been severely financially impacted by the December tier restrictions and the current lockdown period
  your business is not in administration, insolvent or has a striking off notice made against it
• your business is not eligible for the local restrictions support grants
  the grant will not result in your business exceeding the maximum levels of State Aid. Grant payments count towards the total de minimis State Aid that you are permitted to receive over a 3-year period which is €200,000. If you have reached that threshold, you may still be eligible for funding under the Covid-19 Temporary Framework. The limit for the Temporary Framework is €800,000
• your business was not an undertaking in difficulty (within the meaning of Article 2 (18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019.

How much funding you will receive

For Hackney business rates account holders:

• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or less: £3,000
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000: £6,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above: £9,000

Where a business has a business rate account and a rateable value but their number of employees would put them in a higher grant category (as set out on this page), the number of employees will then be used to determine the amount of grant payable.

For businesses without a business rates account who don’t pay business rates, the amount of grant will be based the size of your business, using the number of full-time equivalent PAYE employees, excluding the business owner/owners (unless company directors are also PAYE employees and this can be evidenced in your application form).

• businesses with 0 employees (sole traders): up to £3,000 (home based businesses will receive £2,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £3,000)
• business with 1-9 employees: up to £6,000 (home based businesses will receive £4,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £6,000)
• business with 10 or more employees: up to £9,000 (home based businesses will receive £7,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £9,000)

In some cases the level of ongoing fixed commercial business premises costs may also be considered to determine the level of grant.

Market traders/street traders

Market traders/street traders will receive a payment of either £1,000 or £2,000 depending on numbers of days traded in the borough and the anticipated scale of the financial losses as a result of not being able to trade.

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you don’t provide these documents then your application is unlikely to be successful.

• 3 months business bank statements from November 2020- January 2021 (inclusive): Please provide your business bank statements from November 2020- January 2021 showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill
• business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement or market trading licence: You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement, or market trading licence. If you do not have an up to date business premises lease, rental agreement or licence please provide another up to date form of evidence to demonstrate your business is physically based in Hackney eg a signed and dated letter from your landlord, recent utility bill for your business premises.
• confirmation of the amount of employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed and paid via PAYE by your business.
• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence
• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return
• evidence of the financial impact of the December tier restrictions and January onwards national lockdown on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the impact of the lockdown on your business. Your answer should set out if you were open or closed during this period, if you were able to trade online, the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees)

Types of businesses who can apply

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses physically based in commercial premises in Hackney or home-based businesses based in residential premises in Hackney that are either:

• hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation businesses that are not Hackney business rate account holders and who don’t pay business rates such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, museums, theatres, art galleries, wedding venues, nightclubs, events venues, hotels, bed and breakfasts, serviced apartments, businesses that provide in-person opportunities, experiences and facilities for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, and days and nights out;
• gyms and sports businesses where physical exercise or training takes place (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios, or;
• businesses who supply, or whose income is closely related to the hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation sectors (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as travel and tourism businesses, events sector businesses, businesses who work with theatres, museums or galleries

If you are a hospitality, leisure or accommodation sector business and you pay business rates then you should apply for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant instead.

Exemptions: 

• businesses will only be eligible if their main service falls within the sectors set out above and as set out in this guidance. If a business also provides other services that are not related to the business sectors eligible to receive a grant, then the main service that the business provides will determine whether a business receives grant funding.
• takeaways are not eligible for this grant
• businesses based in virtual offices in Hackney who do not physically operate their business from a commercial or residential premises in the borough cannot receive a grant under this scheme.
• the additional restrictions grant cannot be used by businesses to pay for staff wages or labour costs. Grants must not be used for this purpose.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney physically operating from a commercial or domestic premises*
  (* If you are now working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises in Hackney, then please provide your usual commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form. If your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.)
• your business is a micro or small business which is defined for the purposes of this grant scheme as having 49 or less employees
• your business must be actively trading. A business is considered to be trading if it is engaged in business activity including carrying out a trade or profession, or buying and selling goods or services in order to generate turnover
• your business is not in liquidation, administration, dissolved,  insolvent, struck off the Companies House register, or has a striking off notice made against it
• your business is not eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
• your business must not have exceeded the permitted subsidy allowance. For more details on the permitted subsidy allowance please read this document.

How much funding you will receive*

• businesses based in commercial premises without a business rates account will receive a grant of £3,000
• businesses based in commercial premises with a business rates account will receive a grant based on their rateable value as follows: 
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or less: £2,667 
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000: £4,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above: £6,000

• home based businesses based in residential premises in Hackney will receive a grant of £2000.

*Please note grant amounts may vary to accommodate demand.

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you do not provide these documents then your application will be rejected.

• UK bank statement: Please provide your December 2021 business bank statement (or your most recent bank statement if December 2021 is not available) showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. 
• business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill
• business premises lease or rental agreement. You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, or mortgage statement.  If you do not have any of these documents you must provide another up to date form of evidence to demonstrate your business is physically based in Hackney e.g. a recent utility bill in your name for your business premises.
• confirmation of the amount of PAYE employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed and paid via PAYE by your business.
• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence
• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return
• evidence of the financial impact of the Covid-19 omicron variant on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the Covid-19 omicron variant on your business. Your answer should set the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees).

How to contact us

Please do not contact us regarding information that can be found on this webpage.

If you have any other queries regarding the Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant Fund please contact grant.admin@hackney.gov.uk