City of York Council is starting to make the latest round of Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) payments to eligible businesses this week.
On 14 January, the Council opened the process for the latest grants to be distributed and wrote to 1,200 businesses in the city who are likely to be eligible for this support, with grants of up to £6,000 available. Since then hundreds of businesses have applied for the grants and the council is progressing applications as quickly as possible.
The Council is sending out the first payments to around 400 businesses at the end of this week, with a value of £1.5m.
The OHLG grants remain open to application until 18 March. If you have been contacted and completed the application form, a payment will be made directly into your bank account. The payments will be going out over the next few weeks with required checks to be completed before a payment can be made. If you have not been contacted and believe you are eligible for an OHLG grant please visit council’s website to see if you are eligible and to apply.
As well as progressing the Omicron Leisure and Hospitality Grants, the Council is continuing work to finalise the processes for distributing the COVID-19 Additional Restrictions Fund and Additional Restrictions Grant through a local support scheme and will announce more details on this soon.
Updates will be shared through the business e-newsletter, which businesses can sign up to through the council’s website, as well as through social media and local media.
Councillor Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Finance and Performance said: “Thanks to the hard work of our staff to ensure that payments are made quickly, we are now in a position to pay the latest support grants to our businesses. We’re grateful for the patience of those who have applied, and hope the fast payments will help them after a difficult festive period.
“Since the start of this pandemic we have administered over 25,000 grants with a value of more than £114 million, applied all available business rates support and invested £1 million in additional local support. There is more vital support to come soon, as we are set to announce the local support schemes to reach businesses who aren’t eligible for the Omicron Leisure and Hospitality Grants.”
Councillor Andrew Waller, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning said: “Thank you to our teams who have worked tirelessly to set up and process the latest business support scheme. We wanted to make this system as quick and easy as possible for businesses and it is great that the Council will now start making payments.
“Our thanks also goes to the many businesses who have come forward. If you haven’t yet applied and are eligible, it’s not too late to receive this support – the scheme remains open for applications until 18 March.
“Whilst we are setting up further local business support schemes, we want to hear from any business who has missed out on coronavirus support and needs help to save jobs. Please email economicgrowth@york.gov.uk so we can continue to lobby the government on your behalf for comprehensive support and longer-term clarity to ensure York’s businesses and livelihoods are saved.”
