SSDC is responsible for administering the business rates relief and business support grants.
Grants not loans
There has been some confusion over the business support grants and the business bounce back or business interruption loans with some reluctant to apply thinking they may have to pay it back. The Business Support Grant scheme is not a loan so businesses/organisations can be reassured of this.
We have a straight forward process via our website for people to apply for a grant. The link for this is www.southsomerset.gov.uk/life-events/coronavirus-support/business-support/ and then click on the ‘Government Grant Funding Schemes’ tab.
We still have around 980 businesses and organisations who have yet to apply for a grant.
What we still need to do
We have undertaken a range of activities to publicise the Business Support Grants and encourage businesses and organisations to apply. So far we have:
- Set up a web-page providing advice on support and an online application process
- Contacted by letter or e-mail all businesses/organisations we identified as being likely to qualify for a grant
- Phoned out on a number of occasions, where we hold a contact number to those who had not applied in the first couple of weeks
- Undertaken a social media campaigns across a number of weeks to promote the business grants available and how much we have paid out
- Engaged with the local Chambers of Commerce and business groups to get the message to as many businesses as possible
- Shared information with all of the Environmental Health registered businesses – circa 1000 businesses
- Promoted it through the Tourism Newsletter
Customers who want to make an enquiry direct themselves should send it to revenues@southsomerset.gov.uk.
