More help for York small and micro businesses announced

York Council has issued more details of a £1 million scheme to support businesses falling through safety net of government support

  • 1000 businesses are set for grants of up to £1000, with up to 1000 set for free access to FSB support
  • Council acting to put £110 m of government support into York businesses’ accounts – first grants to land in bank accounts next week

City of York Council has released details of further support for York businesses, including its £1 million scheme to help York’s small and micro businesses who are set to miss out on government support.

City of York Council’s micro business grants scheme will deliver grants of up to £1000 to 1000 self-employed, micro and small businesses who need it most. 

Applications for the grants will open before Easter, and will be available to businesses which:

  • have 50 or fewer employees, including one person business/self-employed;
  • need support adapting to new trading arrangements;
  • are experiencing financial hardship due to coronavirus, and
  • do not qualify for any other government grant or rate relief support packages.

In addition, the council has created a new fund to give up to 1000 businesses free membership of the Federation of Small Business. Also set to launch before Easter, these will be available to businesses with 30 or fewer employees. This will give each business access to a range of services, covering everything from legal and advice to cyber protection and insurance.

Grants will be issued to the first 1000 businesses which meet the criteria, so businesses are advised to prepare evidence in advance.

 The council will open an online application form, which will require company details, an outline of what the grant is needed for and the following evidence to demonstrate eligibility:

  1. proof of hardship and ineligibility for other schemes
    • for self-employed applicants: Business must have a Unique Tax Reference Number UTRN from HRMC with retrospective check
    • Registered business – must provide Company Number, or details from other registration schemes
  2. Evidence that the business is trading, for example adverts, web site or accounts

The council will contact businesses to review the effectiveness of grants and collect evidence of the impact of our funding. 

The council has also negotiated a deal which will allow 1,000 one person businesses, or 500 ten person businesses to join and access the free helpline for business advice.

Carolyn Frank, Development Manager North Yorkshire, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“We are seeing more demand than ever for our services as small businesses and the self-employed find themselves needing advice and guidance, financial support and a powerful collective voice with government.

“We are very grateful to City of York Council for funding free FSB memberships for microbusinesses from their emergency funding, which is helping us reach even more businesses in York with specialist 1-2-1 advice and support.

“Our benefits in higher than normal demand due to the emergency situation include employment advice and protection, legal helpline and documents hub, FSB care medical advice line, cyber protection checks, FSB funding platform and cash advance and insurance services. 

“I’d encourage businesses to apply quickly to take advantage of this special scheme, because it is strictly limited to first come, first served. Of course businesses who miss out on the free scheme can still ask for our help, we have many free resources and a full priced membership starts from only £147 a year.” 

150 York pubs set to get business rates discount

The York Council is planning to reduce the Business Rates burden on 1650 retail outlets and pubs in the City.

It means for smaller businesses, occupying premises with a rateable value of less than £51,000, tax bills could be halved. As well as the basic discount, pubs will get an extra £1000 off their bills if their premises have a Rateable Value of less than £100,000.

The Council says that properties that will benefit from the relief will be occupied hereditaments with a rateable value of less than £51,000 that are wholly or mainly being used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues.

A report to a meeting taking place on 9th March lists dozens of examples of the type of business which could benefit

The proposal is likely to be good news for those businesses that publicly criticised the Council for what they claimed was a lack of response to their problems during the recent floods.

It is thought that the move could also encourage new businesses to occupy empty properties in the City.

The report says, “As with the previous schemes businesses often fail to apply so the council will automatically award the discount to all the properties that can be identified as meeting the criteria. It will be the responsibility of the business to complete and return state aid forms or risk the award being rescinded”.

There is no cost to the council in providing either discount which will be fully reimbursed by Central Government through the “rates retention system”. The scheme will apply for 2020/21 only unless the government renews the funding support next year

York businesses set to get to grips with Google

Google is coming to York to help small businesses from across the region learn crucial skills for the digital age.

The free ‘Getting to Grips with Google’ event will take place at the City of York Council West Offices on Thursday 23 August from 8.30am till 4.30pm.

The event is being delivered by the Digital Knowledge Exchange, part of the government backed Digital Enterprise business support programme, which helps eligible, growth focused businesses, based in the Leeds city region to scale up and achieve digital transformation through access to funding and free learning opportunities such as workshops, masterclasses, digital conferences, digital audits and one to one mentoring support.

At the ‘Getting to Grips with Google’ event, experts from Google’s Digital Garage will deliver a session on ‘Knowing your business data’ with attendees learning how to set up analytics, define business goals and discover insights through reporting.

For more information on these events and to register with the Digital Knowledge Exchange visit  www.digitalenterprise.co.uk/digital-knowledge/events/ or contact the team on 0113 426 0535 or email kanta@digitalenterprise.co.uk

No rates increase for small business and charities in York

Foxwood Community centre

The Council is expected next week to confirm that a freeze on business rates for small businesses and charities will continue.

In effect this means that £700,000 from central government is being injected into the local economy. The move continues the temporary discretionary rate relief grant and will help to mitigate the effect on businesses of the increased rateable values arising from the business rates revaluation exercise undertaken by Central Government. The scheme was intended to support those local businesses that faced the steepest increases in their business rates bills because of the revaluation

During the current year only 98 applied for the relief, leaving £500,000 unallocated in the current year.

The York Council now intends to allocate the relief automatically to all businesses.  This will see no local business or charity with a rateable value below £200K having to pay an increase in their business rates in 2017/18.

Separately the government has confirmed which charities will qualify for Discretionary Rate Relief next year.

The list of successful applicants includes

  • Acomb Sports Club on Acomb Green
  • Foxwood Community Centre
  • Wilf Ward Charity Trust (Green Lane)
  • Chapelfields Community Association (Sanderson Court)

An application by the York and District Indoor Bowls Club is being declined because the organisation is deemed to have too high financial reserves.

Support for Small Business Saturday

Andrew Waller and Keith Orrell support small business Saturday

Small Business Saturday begins today, celebrating the many wonderful local small businesses here in York and across the UK.

Cllr Keith Orrell, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Economic Development and Community Engagement (interim), is urging everyone to get involved in Small Business Saturday and take the opportunity to support local businesses in York.

Cllr Keith Orrell said:

“I am delighted to be supporting Small Businesses Saturday this year and I would strongly encourage anyone to take a trip out this Saturday and show support to local businesses in your community.

From the City Centre, to our more rural communities, York is blessed to be home to a rich variety of small and independent businesses. These local businesses make York such a unique and wonderful City to live in and visit. By showing support to our local business community, we can help encourage more businesses to set up shop in York and continue this proud tradition.”

Small Business Saturday is now in its fifth year and has reached millions of customers and businesses across the UK.  If you would like to get involved and find our more information, then please visit: https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/#get-involved.

 

Broadband drop in sessions to take place across York

Small businesses and registered charities across York will have the chance to benefit from face to face advice on how they can speed up their broadband, from a £3,000 grant, at a series of road shows taking place across the city.

The drop in sessions, which are taking place throughout January, will showcase the York Connection Voucher Scheme which has been helping small businesses in York increase their broadband speed. At the events advice will be available on how to apply for a £3,000 Connection Voucher* and how it can transform the way businesses and registered charities operate.

Current road show events which have been confirmed are:

  • Elvington Air Museum on Tuesday 13 January 8.30am-10.30am
  • Hilton Hotel, Tower Street on Wednesday 14 January 3.30pm-5.30pm
  • Holiday Inn, Tadcaster Road on Tuesday 20 January 8.30am-10.30am
  • Explore Acomb Library Learning Centre on Tuesday 20 January 12.30pm-2.30pm
  • West Offices Customer Centre Thursday 22 January 8.30am-11.30am

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Free business advice offered at drop-in events

Businesses can benefit from free advice on a variety of areas as York hosts two Pop-Up Business Advice events next week.

Your Bike Shed, Micklegate will host the event on Wednesday 13 August between 8am and 12noon where businesses can drop-in for advice on social media and digital marketing, business Start-up, planning and advice, commercial law and many more. (more…)

Small Business Saturday Bus comes to York tomorrow (Tuesday!)

Small business saturday

On Tuesday 19 November, York will be the first calling point, and the only one in the North of England, of the nationwide bus tour promoting the first ever Small Business Saturday in the UK.

St Sampsons Square 11:00am – 2:00pm

Small Business Saturday is on 7 December, and is all about encouraging everyone in the UK to support small businesses.

Events and promotions are being held throughout the country on what is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. T

he Prime Minister, the government and all major political parties are endorsing the day.

(more…)

Small business rate relief goes begging in York?

The York Council has published a list of all commercial properties which qualify for a reduction in their rates payable under the Small Business Rates Relief scheme who, as of 20th September 2013, were not receiving Small Business Rates Relief and where the properties rateable value was under £12,000.

small bus

The full list can be seen by clicking here.

The government’s guidance on small business rate relief says,

“You can get small business rate relief if:

• you only use one property

• its rateable value is less than £12,000

Until 31 March 2014 you’ll get 100% relief (doubled from the usual rate of 50%) for properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less. This means you won’t pay business rates on properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less.

The rate of relief will gradually decrease from 100% to 0% for properties with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000.

If you have more than one property. You could get small business rate relief if the rateable value of each of your other properties is less than £2,600. The rateable values of the properties are added together and the relief applied to the main property”.

The York Council’s advice and application forms can be found here.

However the web page appears to need updating.

The Council have not commented on whether they proactively contact small businesses which may qualify for the relief.

We believe, against a background of failing retail businesses particularly in suburban locations – that the Council, should do more to help.