Covid-19: Latest Updates

Business Support due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

There is a package of measures available through City of Lincoln Council to support businesses through the period of disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Current Schemes 

Restart Grants - Mandatory Scheme

From April 2021 a new Restart grant will be available to help businesses to reopen. This replaces the current funding schemes and will be a one-off grant.

Non-essential retail businesses with a rates account will receive between £2667 and £6,000 per premises depending on rateable value.

Hospitality & leisure (including personal care and gyms) businesses with a rates account will receive between £8,000 and £18,000 per premises depending on rateable value.

Full guidance for this scheme is available here: Restart Grant: guidance for local authorities (publishing.service.gov.uk)

We expect to receive funds from government and make payments to eligible businesses from Tuesday 6th April 2021

We will be in touch directly with businesses that have previously applied for funding, that we believe to eligible for this grant scheme

If you have had applied for and received a grant from us through previous schemes since November you do not need to make an application we will be in touch with you directly if we believe your business is eligible for this grant scheme. 

The scheme will open for any new applications from 6th April.

Restart Grant - Discretionary Scheme

The Council will utilise its Additional Restrictions Grant funding to support non-ratepaying businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that have been mandated to close under the national lockdown restrictions up to 12th April 2021. 

Businesses that have been severely impacted by these restrictions and which call within these sectors will also be considered for support, where the evidence of need can be demonstrated.

  • Non-essential retailers will receive grants of between £1,334 - £6,000
  • Hospitality and leisure businesses will receive grants of between £1,334 - £18,000

The amount received will depend on the level of ongoing fixed business costs (rent, mortgage) as set out below:

Sector (Refer to guidance, Annex C for full details)
Fixed costs per annum Strand 1: Non-Essential Retail Strand 2: Hospitality and Leisure
less than £3,600 £1,334 £1,334
£3,600 to £15,000 £2,667 £8,000
£15,001 - £51,000 £4,000 £12,000
Over £51,000 £6,000 £18,000

Businesses will need to provide evidence to verify ongoing fixed costs and how the Restart Grant will be used to support the business (Grants cannot be used to support wages).  This is requested, together with all other information in line with the mandatory scheme within the application form.

We will be in touch directly with businesses that have previously applied for funding, that we believe to eligible for this grant scheme.

The scheme will remain open for any new applications until Wednesday 26th of April 2021. 

Apply for a Business Support Grant

All other conditions set out within the mandatory scheme will apply to this discretionary scheme: Restart Grant: guidance for local authorities (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Previous Schemes

Local Restrictions Support Grant for businesses mandated to close due to the national lockdown period 16 February onwards.

  • This scheme will close to new applications on 31 May 2021.
  • The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) helps businesses that have been required to close due to the national lockdown restrictions.

How to qualify

To qualify for a grant the business must have been:

  • open as usual before the restrictions
  • registered for business rates at the premises 
  • providing services in-person to customers from the premises
  • required to close due to the lockdown restrictions imposed by the government as of 5 January 2021

Please see the full policy and eligibility criteria.

How much support you will recieve

All grants amounts are set out in the table below:

Rateable value of premises LRSG February national Lockdown 44 Day
£15,000 or under     £2096
£15,001 to £50,999 £3143
£51,000 or over £4714

How to apply

You can apply for a Local Restrictions Support Grant using our online form above.

If you previously received a Local Restrictions Support Grant for a closed business due to the national restrictions in place from 5 November to 2 December 2020, or throughout January you don't need to apply again.

You should have automatically received all payments due to you through the above schemes. 

If you think you have not received these payments please check you bank and contact us on supportingbusiness@lincoln.gov.uk

Closed Schemes

Please note that these schemes are no longer open for applications. The application window closed on 31 March 2021.

Local Restrictions Support Grant for businesses mandated to close due to the national and local lockdown periods:

  • 5 November to 1 December 2020 (National)
  • 2 December to 30 December 2020 (Tier 3)
  • 31 December 2020 to 4 January 2021 (Tier 4)
  • 5 January 2021 – 15 February 2021(National)
  • Closed business Lockdown Grant (one off)
  • Additional Restrictions Grant for businesses mandated to close or severely impacted by the national and local restrictions for the above periods.


Other Support Schemes (links to external gov.uk websites):