A number of business owners haven’t yet received their Restart Grant, despite being launched at the beginning of April.
The Business Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) said that many of their members in England still haven’t received a Restart Grant owed by their local authority. One member said that their local authority website promised the grant by ‘the end of April 2021’ which has since been changed to ‘the end of May 2021’.
The one-off grants, which were announced in the Budget in March, were made available to help ‘non-essential’ businesses reopen after lockdown ended.
Andrew Goodacre, Bira CEO, said: “We are disappointed to hear from members that there are ongoing delays with the distribution of the Restart Grants.
“In our view these should have been with business owners before the shops opened and now we are in May and still too many independent retailers are waiting.
“All the data is with the local authorities as this is not the first time grants have been sent to businesses and we urge all local authorities to re-double their efforts. Shops may be open, but the owners still need all the support that is owed to them.”
What can I do if I haven’t received my Restart Grant?
If you still haven’t received your grant, the best thing to do is contact your local authority. Visit their website first as it may give an explanation as to why there has been a delay. A couple of councils have said that Government pre-payment verifications are slowing the process down.
Every council website will be different, but some may provide an email address or phone number to contact to find out how your application is coming along.
For a list of local council websites where you can find more info or apply for a Restart Grant, take a look at Where to get your small business Restart Grant worth up to £18,000.
We want to hear from you – if you haven’t yet received your Restart Grant, please email anna.jordan@bonhillplc.com.
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