Business grants
Grant schemes closed
The Council has now paid out all business grants and all grant schemes are now closed. Details on each grant scheme is provided on this page, for information only
On this page:
This grant is for businesses that were required to close for the national lockdown period which began on 5 November.
Eligible businesses include: non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses.
These grants are only available to those businesses rate account holders.
A single grant to cover the lockdown period will be paid to each eligible business. Businesses with more than one qualifying property will be able to receive more than one grant.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 4 November 2020, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 November 2020
- you must be a non-essential business that legally had to close from 5 November to 2 December 2020 (you are still eligible if for this grant if, as a result of lockdown measures, you continued to trade through click-and-collect, delivery or takeaway during this period)
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
This grant is for certain businesses (nightclubs, discos, dance halls, hostess bars, adult entertainment venues) who were required to close on 23 March 2020 and have been unable to reopen since.
The government has advised that payments will be made per 14-day closure period from the 1 November 2020 and will not be backdated.
During any national lockdown period, this grant will cease temporarily and eligible businesses will be paid from the local restrictions support grant (for closed businesses) grant fund.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 22 March 2020 prior to the first national lockdown on 23 March
- you must be a nightclub, disco, dance hall, hostess bar or adult entertainment venue that was required to close on 23 March and has been legally required to stay closed since this date
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have reopened as another type of business (for example, changing a nightclub to a bar)
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
This is a discretionary grant for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were most affected by the Tier 2 restrictions including preventing households from mixing indoors and the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants.
This grant covers the 19 day period from 17 October to 4 November. The government has advised that this fund should be aimed at hospitality, accommodation, and leisure businesses who are most impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 16 October 2020, prior to the introduction of Tier 2 restrictions on 17 October 2020
- your business must be in the leisure, hospitality or accommodation sectors such as a cinema, restaurant, bar, pub, theatre, music venue, hotel, bed and breakfast, leisure or sports venue, gym, art gallery, museums or cafe
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- your business is a takeaway as it is considered that takeaways will not have been severely impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions
- your business is Airbnb style accommodation
This is a discretionary grant for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were most affected by the Tier 2 restrictions including preventing households from mixing indoors.
This grant covers the Tier 2 period from 2 December to 19 December. The government has advised that this fund should be aimed at hospitality, accommodation, and leisure businesses who are most impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises and be registered for business rates with Hackney Council
- you must have been trading on 1 December 2020, prior to the introduction of Tier 2 restrictions on 2 December 2020. Please note if your business was closed on 1 December as a result of government Covid-19 restrictions but would otherwise have been open and trading then you will be considered to have been trading on the 1st December
- your business must be in the leisure, hospitality or accommodation sectors such as a cinema, restaurant, bar, pub, theatre, music venue, hotel, bed and breakfast, leisure or sports venue, gym, art gallery, museums or cafe
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- your business is a takeaway as it is considered that takeaways will not have been severely impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions
- your business is Airbnb style accommodation
This grant is for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were required to close due to Tier 2 or 3 restrictions that were in place from 2 December 2020 until the 19 December 2020.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligible businesses include:
- pubs that could not serve table meals and therefore had to close during Tier 2 restrictions, hospitality, accommodation, conference centres, exhibitions halls, indoor tourism, entertainment and leisure venues that were required to close under Tier 3 restrictions. Read more information on the businesses required to close in Tier 3
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must have been required by the government to close your premises as a result of tier restrictions
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises and be registered for business rates with Hackney Council
- you must have been trading the day before the relevant tier restrictions came into effect. Where local restrictions are preceded by national lockdown measures, requiring the extended closure of eligible businesses, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
This grant is for businesses that were required by the government to close during the Tier 4 period in London. This grant covers the period from the 19 December 2020 until 5 January 2021.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligible businesses include:
- non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses legally required to close by the government during this period. Read more information on the businesses required to close in Tier 4
Eligibility criteria
The above amounts will be paid pro rata if required to reflect the number of of days the restriction was in place.
To be eligible:
- you must have been required by the government to close your premises as a result of tier restrictions
- your business must have been trading the day prior to Tier 4 restrictions being introduced (18 December 2020) if you were required by government to close earlier as a result of these restrictions
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
- you have already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State Aid
This is a one-off grant for wet-led pubs and bars for December and is in addition to any other grant awards you may be eligible for under Tier 2, 3 or 4 restrictions.
Pubs and bars that derive less than 50% of sales from food are considered to be wet-led.
Applications for this grant closed 28 February 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All eligible businesses were paid for this grant by 31 March 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- your business must be a pub (the definition of a pub excludes restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, hotels, snack bars, guesthouses, boarding houses, sporting venues, music venues, festival sites, theatres, museums, exhibition halls, cinemas, concert halls and casinos)
- when trading, your business is open to general members of the public
when trading, your business allows free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided - when trading, your business allows drinking without requiring food to be consumed
- your business was trading on the day before the scheme was announced (i.e trading on the 30 November 2020)
- your business receives more than 50% of business income from the sales of drinks, and under 50% of business income from food sales
- you are a Hackney business rates account holder
Please note if your business was closed on the 30 November 2020 as a result of government Covid-19 restrictions, but would otherwise have been open and trading then you will be considered to have been trading on the 30 November.
Important note: If you have already applied for grant 1 for the November lockdown period you do not need to submit an application as you will be automatically assessed for this grant.
This grant is for businesses that were required to close for the national lockdown period which began on 5 January 2021.
This grant is divided into 2 payment periods:
- first cycle: For the period 5 January – 15 February 2021
- second cycle: For the period 16 February – 31 March 2021
Any businesses which submit an application after 31 March 2021 can only be considered for the second cycle.
Eligible businesses include:
- non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses.
Applications for the first payment cycle closed 31 March 2021. For the second payment cycle the application closure date is 31 May 2021 and final payments must be made by 30 June 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 4 January 2021, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 January 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
- you must be a non-essential retail, hospitality or leisure business that legally had to close from 5 January 2021.
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
Important note: If you have already applied for Grant 1 for the November lockdown period you do not need to submit an application as you will be automatically assessed for eligibility.
This one-off payment to support non-essential businesses that were required to close for the January lockdown. This payment is in addition to the funding provided by Grant 8. This grant will be paid to businesses at the same time as Grant 8.
Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 4 January 2021, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 January 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
- you must be a non-essential business that legally had to close from 5 January 2021
You cannot receive grant funding if:
- you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
This one-off payment to support non-essential businesses that are predominantly reliant on delivering in-person services for the general public.
Eligible businesses include:
- non-essential retail: a business that is open to the public and is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public
- hospitality: a business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink
- leisure: a business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, days and nights out, betting and gaming
- accommodation: a business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes
- gym and Sport: a commercial establishment where physical exercise or training is conducted on an individual basis or group basis, using exercise equipment or open floor space with or without instruction, or where individual and group sporting, athletic and physical activities are participated in competitively or recreationally
- personal care: a business which provides a service, treatment or
activity for the purposes of personal beauty, hair, grooming, body care and aesthetics, and wellbeing
See more information on eligible businesses.
The application closure date for the restart grant is 30 June 2021 and final payments must be made by 31 July 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible:
- you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
- you must have been trading on 1 April 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
You can’t receive grant funding if:
- your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
Grant 1: local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum – November lockdown
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £1,334 for the 5 November- 2 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £2,000 for the 5 November- 2 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 and above will receive £3,000 for the 5 November- 2 December period
Grant 2: Local restrictions support grant (sector) – for businesses closed since March 2020
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £1,049 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £1,572 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £2,358 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods
Grant 3: Local restrictions support grant (open) – for businesses affected by tier restrictions from 17 October to 4 November
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £634 for the 17 October- 4 November period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £950 for the 17 October- 4 November period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 will receive £1,425 for the 17 October- 4 November period
Grant 4: Local restrictions support grant (open) – for businesses affected by tier 2 restrictions from 2 December to 19 December
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £467 for the 2- 15 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £700 for the 2- 15 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 will receive £1050 for the 2- 15 December period
Grant 5: Local restrictions support grant (closed) – for businesses required to close for tier 2 or 3 in December
Businesses closed in the December Tier 2 period (wet led pubs)
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £667 for the 2-15 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £1,000 for the 2-15 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £1,500 for the 2-15 December period
Businesses closed in the December Tier 3 period (including hospitality, accommodation, indoor tourism, entertainment and leisure venues)
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £191 for the 16-19 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £286 for the 16-19 December period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £429 for the 16-19 December period
Grant 6: Local restrictions support grant (closed) (addendum Tier 4) – for businesses required to close during tier 4
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £763 for the 20 December-4 January period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £1,143 for the 20 December-4 January period
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £1,715 for the 20 December-4 January period
Grant 7: Christmas support payment for wet-led pubs
- eligible businesses will receive a £1,000 one-off payment
Grant 8: Local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum
First payment cycle: 5 January – 15 February 2021
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £2,001
- eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £3,000
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £4,500
Second payment cycle: 16 February to 31 March 2021
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £2,096
- eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £3,143
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £4,714
Grant 9: Closed business lockdown payment – one-off payment for businesses required to close for January lockdown
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £4,000
- businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £6,000
- businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £9,000
Grant 10: Restart Grant – one-off payment for businesses required to close for January lockdown
Non-essential retail businesses
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive a payment of £2,667
- businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a payment of £4,000
- businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive a payment of £6,000
Hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care, and gym businesses
- eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive a payment of £8,000
- businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a payment of £12,000
- businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive a payment of £18,000
You can’t receive funding for any of the above grants if:
- you have already received grant payments that equal the maximum subsidy levels set out in the updated Covid-19 business grants subsidy allowances. This scheme is covered by 3 subsidy allowances. Grants under these 3 allowances can be combined for a potential total allowance of up to £10,935,000 (subject to exchange rates). See further information on the subsidy allowances
- Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance – you are allowed up to £335,000 (subject to exchange rates) over any period of 3 years
- Covid-19 Business Grant Allowance – you are allowed up to £1,600,000
- Covid-19 Business Grant Special Allowance – if you have reached your limits under the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance, you may be able to access a further allowance of funding under these scheme rules of up to £9,000,000, provided certain conditions are met
- your business was an undertaking in difficulty (within the meaning of Article 2 (18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019
- your business is in administration, insolvent, or is subject to a striking off notice
- you are not a London Borough of Hackney business rates account holder
If you have an enquiry and you can’t find the information you need on this page, you can email grant.admin@hackney.gov.uk.