BUSINESSES are being urged not to miss out on coronavirus support if they have not yet made a claim.

City of York Council says businesses that have applied for grants in Tier 2 don't need to reapply for Tier 3 grants - they will automatically be processed under existing schemes.

The council will also register and pay the appropriate grants to any business which has successfully applied for the Local Restrictions Grants brought in to support business through Tier 2; and the Additional Restrictions Grant which supports businesses impacted, but not forced to close, during November’s lockdown.

Tier 3 grants include Local Restrictions Grants (Closed) of up to £3000 a month for businesses legally forced to close, including most hospitality, indoor entertainment and accommodation. Businesses not forced to close but with trade reduced by more than 75 per cent due to the pandemic can receive between £500 and £3000 for every two weeks in Tier 3.

These will be paid automatically - businesses do not need to contact the council.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, executive member for performance and finance, said: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve made sure that York’s businesses are getting their grants as quickly as possible.

“As we move into Tier 3, we want to remove additional stress so if we can pay grants based on existing information, we will. So if you have applied for grants in the last eight weeks, you shouldn’t have to reapply now.”

Cllr Andrew Waller, executive member for the economy and strategic planning, said: “Making sure grants get to businesses as quickly and simply as possible has been central to our pandemic response. This protects jobs, the supply chain and the city’s wider economy.

If you haven’t applied for a grant recently, check what you may be eligible for and apply at york.gov.uk/COVID19BusinessGrants.

"Council staff are once again ready to put in a huge effort to get this money into businesses bank accounts as quickly as possible

“While we have shaped the Additional Restricted Grants to help catch some of the businesses that have missed out on government support, we’re continuing to call on the Government to deliver more.

“I would urge businesses who have fallen through the cracks, to please contact us as soon as possible at economicgrowth@york.gov.uk and thanks to all the businesses who have already got in touch with the team who are looking at ways to provide help."

He added: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve prioritised paying grants as quickly and fairly as possible, while carrying out extensive anti-fraud checks, and following the specific Government Guidance.

“At the same time we’ve successfully lobbied government to provide more support, especially to businesses over £51,000 rateable value who were excluded from early grants by the Government, and thankfully there has been a change which has allowed us to process payment to these businesses in the latest rounds of grants.

“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.”

To get notification when grant applications open, and up to date info on other business support, sign up for regular bulletins at https://www.york.gov.uk/form/EmailUpdates