Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed)

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) is for businesses that are required to close under local tier restrictions. This does not apply during periods of national lockdown - see our business grants page for other funding available. 

For Dorset, tier restrictions were in place as follows:

• Tier 2 from 2 December 2020 to 30 December 2020
• Tier 3 from 31 December 2020 to 4 January 2021

Businesses that were required to close

Businesses that were required to close during Tier 2 mainly included pubs and bars that were unable to operate as restaurants.

Businesses that were required to close under Tier 3 restrictions included:

• hospitality: restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs (excluding takeaways/drive-through)
• accommodation: hotels, B&Bs, campsites, and guest houses
• indoor entertainment venues: Indoor play centres and areas, casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, amusement arcades, cinemas and theatres (excluding drive-in cinemas/theatres), concert halls and snooker halls
• events businesses (excluding drive-in events)

View a full list of business categories required to close on GOV.UK.

Eligibility

To qualify, your business must be in the Dorset Council area and must have been:

• open as usual before the 5 November national lockdown restrictions, and
• providing services in person to customers from the premises, and
• required to close due to restrictions imposed by government, and
• paying business rates for the premises before restrictions started

Businesses with more than one qualifying property will receive more than one grant.

Exclusions 

You are not eligible for this grant if your business:

• is able to continue to trade because it does not depend on providing direct in-person services from premises and can operate services remotely (e.g. accountants, solicitors)
• is a pub, club or bar that is able to operate as a restaurant
• has chosen to close but not been required to by government
• has already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State Aid permitted under the de minimis and the COVID-19 Temporary State Aid Framework
• was in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made

Payments

You will be paid a fixed amount for every 14 day period (or a pro-rata amount if the restrictions were in place for less than 14 days), while the tier restrictions were in place.

If your business has a rateable value of:

• £15,000 and under, you will receive £667 per 14 day qualifying restriction period
• over £15,000 and less than £51,000, you will receive £1,000 per 14 day qualifying restriction period
• exactly £51,000 or above, you will receive £1,500 per 14 day qualifying restriction period

Tax

Any grant income your business receives is taxable. You must include the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) as income on your tax return. You'll only pay tax if your business makes an overall profit once grant income is included.

Fraud or payment in error

We will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud. Any business caught falsifying their records to gain grant money will face prosecution and funding issued will be recovered. Funding may also be recovered for any grants paid in error.

We undertake pre and post payment checks to combat the risks of fraud and payment error.