The pandemic has had a profound impact on our businesses. I know from the emails and conversations I have had with constituents that so many have been doing what they can to keep going. They need to be able to make it to the Spring. With this in mind, I am pleased that the Government has announced a further £4.6 billion in grants to support businesses affected by the new national restrictions.
Further details of the support available from the Government, our local authority and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership can be found below:
UK Government
All businesses should visit the Government website as their first port of call to check their eligibility for any of the support schemes currently in operation: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19
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This provides detailed guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, sick pay, tax deferrals and business rates relief.
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You can find out about the various Government-backed loans such as the Bounce Back Loan and Business Interruption Loan.
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There is also information about the Local Restrictions Support Grant and the Additional Restrictions Grant which is overseen by our local authority (see below).
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For the self-employed, there is detailed guidance on the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.
Cherwell District Council
The Council website has further information about targeted support for businesses in North Oxfordshire at the following link: https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/258/coronavirus/675/coronavirus-guidance-for-businesses
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This includes guidance on how to apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant. This grant is available to businesses which have either been forced to close or have been adversely affected by the national lockdown in November or Oxfordshire being placed into higher tiers in December. The Government has today announced its extension for this new national lockdown.
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There is also guidance on the Additional Restrictions Grant, which is made available to those business which cannot access the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
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You can find further information about applying for other Government and local support.
Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership
OxLEP provides tailored support to businesses in Oxfordshire, which can be found at: https://www.oxfordshirelep.com/coronavirus
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This includes signposting to available Government support.
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There is additional information on local support and funds accessible for businesses in Oxfordshire.
If you have any issues with accessing support for your business at this time, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing victoria.prentis.mp@parliament.uk
