The latest round of Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG Phase 2) covering the current lockdown period opened to new applicants on Friday 12 February.
The ARG Phase 2 is for businesses which haven’t previously applied for and received the ARG relating to the November 2020 lockdown.
Those businesses which received the November lockdown payment are automatically receiving payment to cover the first 6 weeks from the start of the January national lockdown.
The eligibility criteria for the ARG Phase 2 has also been widened to include businesses eligible for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
Councillor Tony Ferrari, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Assets and Property, said: “If you think your business qualifies for the Additional Restrictions Grant and you haven’t previously received payment, please apply. We are committed to supporting local businesses and our local economy, and our team is working hard to make sure funding reaches you as quickly as possible.
“We encourage those affected by the current lockdown to check their eligibility and apply for the funding to which they are entitled.”
The ARG aims to help businesses which have been severely impacted by the January Lockdown, regardless of whether they have been legally required to close or not, and which do not qualify for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) Addendum.
To qualify, a business:
- must be in the Dorset Council area
- must have been open before the January 2021 national restrictions were in place
- must have been required to close due to national restrictions that came into force in January
- must not have a liability to pay business rates
Or the business:
- may be eligible if it has remained open during the January national restrictions but has been significantly impacted and suffered a severe loss of income directly as a result of the national restrictions (severe loss is defined as 50% or more, compared to your usual or forecasted income for this time of year)
The round of ARG relating to the November-December 2020 lockdown period is now closed.
Over 1,100 Additional Restriction Grants, totalling £1.6 million, have been paid out so far in February to small businesses which qualified for the earlier November lockdown payment.
so sorry this sounds like a contradiction to me (I may have mis-understood) = “The ARG aims to help businesses which have been severely impacted by the January Lockdown, regardless of whether they have been legally required to close or not…………………………
To qualify, a business:
must be in the Dorset Council area
must have been required to close due to national restrictions that came into force in January”
Hi Jennifer. Thanks for querying this and it does sound confusing. The bullet points state that a ‘business must have been required to close …’ or ‘may be eligible if it has remained open … but has been significantly impacted..’ so either scenario may be applicable. If you are unsure about whether you qualify, please do send an email to additionalrestrictionsgrant@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and the team will be able to answer any specific questions related to your business.
Best wishes, Alex.