Oxford City Council provides almost £33m of business support grants

Oxford City Council has provided almost £33m to help Oxford’s businesses through the coronavirus pandemic.

The City Council has provided 4,734 grants to businesses in the city since the first lockdown in March 2020.

Alongside this, the City Council has also provided £57.5m of rates relief to businesses in the city.

The grants and rates relief are funded by the Government and administered in Oxford by the City Council.

 

Lockdown support grants

Businesses that have been mandated to close by the Government – including those from non-essential retail, hospitality and leisure sectors – can currently apply for:

• One-off grants of up to £9,000 per property
• Grants of up to £4,500 per six weeks of national lockdown and/or Tier 4

 

Businesses that do not qualify for the grants but have been severely impacted by the lockdown or Oxford being in Tier 4 are able to apply for discretionary grants of up to £2,000 per 28 days.

The grants cover the period Oxford was in Tier 4 (26 December to 4 January) and the current lockdown, which started on 5 January.

Grants are also still available to cover the period from 31 October to 25 December. However, these will be closing soon.

For more information about the grants and loans available to businesses in Oxford, to check eligibility and to apply, please visit: www.oxford.gov.uk/businesssupport.

 

Councillor Mary Clarkson, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Covered Market and Culture, said: “We are working quickly to get this money into the hands of Oxford’s businesses, and we are paying grants out every day.

“If you operate a business in Oxford that has had to close or has been severely impacted by the latest lockdown, please apply for the grants that are available.”