The new guidance for the additional £102m Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding is similar to the previous guidance. This third top-up is being allocated to councils on a per business basis, as per previous tranches. Some of the key features are:
- Unlike previous tranches, councils are not allowed to use this new funding for business support activities so all funding must be given to businesses as grants payments.
- All ARG funding, including this tranche, needs to be dispersed by 31 March 2022
- Businesses must self-certify that they meet all eligibility criteria and Local Authorities must verify the evidence provided as part of prepayment checks
- Councils are specifically encouraged to provide funding for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, the travel and tourism sector, travel agents and tour operators, coach operators, nightclubs, theatres, events industries, freelance and mobile businesses (including caterers and events), gyms, and other businesses that may have not received other grant funding.
There is no restriction on the number of grants a business may receive, subject to subsidy limits.