Decision details

PH-001-22 Additional Resilience Grant (ARG) Policy update.

Decision Maker: Portfolio Holder for People & Transformation, Portfolio Holder for Corporate & Commercial Services, Portfolio Holder for Place

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

Dacorum Borough Council has received circa £4m in ARG funding to support local businesses to date circa £3m of these funds have been allocated.

 

In addition the Council has recently received an additional £345k of ARG for distribution.

 

This seeks approval for the award of unspent Additional Recovery Grant funds to support businesses in the wake of the introduction of Plan B restrictions and the impact of Omicron.

Decision:

The decision to Invest the remaining ARG grant to support the leisure, hospitality and travel businesses which have been worst affected by Plan B restrictions

 

The aim is to use the residual ARG to support businesses impacted by the emergence of the Omicron variant and the introduction of Plan B restrictions. The government has provided additional business rates relief in the form of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure relief. The use of the residual £1m of ARG is to support businesses in these sectors that will not be eligible for this relief but are equally impacted by the new restrictions.

 

After analysing the business data we have collated throughout the Covid period we estimate there are circa 450 eligible businesses that could apply for these grants.

 

The value of the grant is expected to be between £2 - £3k per business as it is dependent on the number of applications as the grant will be equally apportioned across all successful applicants.

 

Allocation of ARG has been the subject of three earlier PH Decisions and these are listed below and can be accessed via ModernGov.

Reasons for the decision:

The decision to Invest the remaining ARG grant to support the leisure, hospitality and travel businesses which have been worst affected by Plan B restrictions

 

The aim is to use the residual ARG to support businesses impacted by the emergence of the Omicron variant and the introduction of Plan B restrictions. The government has provided additional business rates relief in the form of the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure relief. The use of the residual £1m of ARG is to support businesses in these sectors that will not be eligible for this relief but are equally impacted by the new restrictions.

 

After analysing the business data we have collated throughout the Covid period we estimate there are circa 450 eligible businesses that could apply for these grants.

 

The value of the grant is expected to be between £2 - £3k per business as it is dependent on the number of applications as the grant will be equally apportioned across all successful applicants.

 

Allocation of ARG has been the subject of three earlier PH Decisions and these are listed below and can be accessed via ModernGov.

 

Urgent item?: Yes

Publication date: 18/01/2022

Date of decision: 18/01/2022

Accompanying Documents: