Coronavirus: Cash lifeline for Melton businesses left out of initial funding scheme

The existing grant scheme announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak at the start of the coronavirus restrictions was purely for businesses who pay their business rates to their local council.

This meant that those who paid rates to providers of shared office spaces, such as Melton’s Pera Business Park, or to other shared enterprise areas, like Melton Livestock Market, were not eligible for help.

But that has now changed with the introduction of a new £617 million discretionary fund which will be allocated to small businesses who previously missed out on funding.

Melton MP Alicia Kearns, who was one of the leading campaigners calling for the money to be made available because of the crippling effect the virus restrictions are having on businesses, said she was ‘absolutely delighted’ to see the new support in place.

One of those businesses likely to benefit from the new wave of funding is Round Corner Brewing, which is based at the town’s livestock market.

The company has had to furlough staff and close its Tap Room due to the social distancing restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19.

Beer is still being brewed at the business and is being delivered to customers in the week, with people also queuing up to collect supplies at pre-booked time slots on Saturdays.

But Combie Cryan, one of the founders of the company, said the new government funding would still be vitally important to help in the short term and long term when ecomonc challenges will continue even after isolation restrictions have been lifted.

He told the Melton Times: “It did appear to be a massive anomaly that businesses such as ourselves were not eligible for the previous government funding scheme.

“I’m glad they seem to have rectified the situation and we are grateful for the campaigning our MP has done on this.

“We have had to totally reconstruct our business in the last month but it is not at the same level it was before the Covid-19 situation started so this money would be very important to us.”

The businesses that could benefit from the new funding include:

** Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible work spaces, such as industrial parks, science parks, incubators etc, which do not have their own business rates assessment;

** Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;

** B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates;

** Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Melton MP Mrs Kearns, said: “I am absolutely delighted that the government has agreed to provide the support I have been campaigning for to support our wonderful local businesses who so far had not received the support they deserve.

“This has been my number one ask of the government, and I worked to secure the support of fellow MPs to make the case to the Treasury, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

“I promised to stand by our local businesses, and the government has delivered on its commitment to leave no one behind.”

* Beer can be collected from Round Corner Brewing on Saturdays by pre-booking on the company Facebook page at www.facebook.com/roundcornerbeer - reusable growlers are being used which hold three-and-one-third pints.

Food can also be ordered and picked up at the same time from another local business, Feast and the Furious, which specialises in smoked products.