Emergency talks have led City of York Council to announce plans to swiftly distribute government grants to local businesses.

An emergency council session was held this afternoon after the government issued guidance on delivering three new grant schemes announced over the past two weeks.

The decision means the council will process the government grant allocations as quickly as possible.

These will cover the period of national lockdown; the brief period whilst York was in Tier 2 of local restrictions; and the new grant for sectors which have received no previous government.

Businesses will soon be able to apply for the following grants: Lockdown Local Restriction Scheme Business forced to close by law under national lockdown from 5/11/20 will receive:

• For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;

• For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;

• For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.

Tier 2 Local Restriction Scheme Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors, B&Bs and hotels will receive a proportion of the following monthly grants to reflect the 19 days spent in Tier 2:

• For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants of £934 per month

• For properties with a rateable value above £15k and below £51k, grants of £1,400 per month

• For properties with a rateable value of £51k or above, grants of £2,100 per month Sector support A new government grant aimed at businesses which have not previously received support, including nightclubs, dance halls, discotheques, sexual entertainment venues and hostess bars, was introduced from 1 November 2020.

However, this will be superseded from 5 November by the lockdown restriction scheme.

• For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants of £667 per 14-day period

• For properties with a rateable value above £15k and below £51k, grants of £1,000 per 14-day period

• For properties with a rateable value of £51k or above, grants of £1,500 per 14-day period Another decision session will take place next week to agree how best to use the discretionary element of the government’s grant funding.

Executive member for finance and performance, Cllr Nigel Ayre, said: “Our staff previously put in a huge effort to distribute over £110m of support to businesses in the summer, resulting in York being one of the fastest paying councils for business support during the first national lockdown, and this time around, we are working hard to do the same.”

“We have developed a system to pay out these these payments into business bank accounts as soon as possible. There have been three grant schemes announced in quick succession, so we’re also working on a process which helps businesses easily apply for everything they are entitled to.

“Now that we have received the full detailed guidance, we are also working to identify how best to spend the discretionary parts of the scheme. We are working with businesses and partners across the city to look at the fairest and most effective way to use that money, in order to protect businesses and jobs.”

Cllr Andrew Waller, executive member for the economy and strategic planning, said: “These additional grants come after months of active lobbying for more urgent and comprehensive support for businesses, including the hospitality sector and those business with higher rateable values.

“While this funding will be used to protect hundreds of York businesses and jobs, sectors like retail, and some self-employed/micro businesses are set to miss out.

"If your business has fallen through the cracks and will not benefit from these new announcements, please contact us as soon as possible at economicgrowth@york.gov.uk and we will continue to raise these ongoing issues with the Government and regional partners.

“There is also a lot more local support for businesses beyond these grants. Please get in touch with Make it York, York BID or the Federation of Small Businesses as soon as possible to find out more.”