Posted On 19 Apr 2024

Around 320 Fareham-based businesses forced to close during the November lockdown have already benefited from a total of £487,888 in the latest round of grant funding.  The Council has confirmed that funding is still available to businesses who meet the criteria and haven’t yet made a claim.

The Government funding is worth up to £3,000 for eligible businesses and there is an online application form available on the Council’s website.  

Grants available for businesses forced to close are as follows:

• £1,334 for properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under;  
• £2,000 for properties with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000;  
• £3,000 for properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over. 

Any application for the grant must be from the ratepayer and the business must have been open and trading on 4 November.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Seán Woodward, said: “The latest lockdown restrictions forced a number of businesses to close and in those cases these grants are available to ease some of the pressure on them.

“If your business has been affected in this way then I would urge you to take advantage of this grant.”

The full details of the eligibility criteria and a link to the application for can be found at https://www.fareham.gov.uk/business/business_rates/intro.aspx.

Further grants schemes are soon to become available for businesses affected by the lockdown but who do not meet the criteria for this scheme, and for businesses affected by the region entering Tier 2 status at the end of the national lockdown.