Small businesses at Discovery Park and other incubation spaces are among those to benefit from the second phase of a new discretionary grants scheme that has been released today.

This new pot of money is aimed at small businesses and charities in Dover, Deal and Sandwich that were not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Grant Fund.

Dover District Council, which administers the money, says it maintains discretion over the awarding of this fund but will administer the scheme within the guidance issued by national government.

Applicants have a two week window to submit their requests and cash will be awarded to the successful applicants by mid August.

DDC leader Trevor Bartlett said: “Phase two of this additional grant scheme is aimed at small businesses and charities that were not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Grant Fund.

"We encourage businesses who are eligible to apply for this grant to get in touch to help them get through this difficult time.”

The authority has outlined some of the businesses that are likely to benefit from this scheme.

These include small businesses in shared offices or flexible workspace, where the landlord is liable for the business rates.

Examples include:

• Units in industrial parks, science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment.

• Regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment

• Bed and Breakfasts which pay council tax instead of business rates.

• Charity property in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for small business rates relief or rural rate relief.

• Businesses that pay business rates (or mooring fees) and have been unable to claim other government grants because their rateable value is too high (up to £100k), they operate from two locations or they pay mooring fees instead of business rates. These businesses must be registered at Companies House at an address in Dover district and operate from a premises in Dover district.

In addition, eligible businesses must fall into all of the following categories:

• Businesses with ongoing fixed building-related costs, businesses which can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis, businesses with fewer than 50 employees, businesses that were trading on March 11.

• Businesses which occupy property, or part of a property, with a rateable value, annual rent or annual mortgage payments over £15,000 and below £100,000.

The value of awards will depend on the number of valid applications and it is therefore possible that the grants will have to be capped at a modest level, if the scheme is heavily subscribed.

The scheme is open to applications from mid-day today (Monday) until mid-day On Monday, July 27.

Applications will be assessed and payments will be made to the successful applicants by mid-August.

For further information, visit the DDC website by clicking here.

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