The second round of applications for East Lothian's Discretionary Grant Fund for businesses affected by COVID-19 opens at 9am on Thursday 25th February.
If your business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but you have not been eligible for any government support grants so far, you may be able to apply for a one-off discretionary grant of £2k.
East Lothian Council has been awarded a share of government funding to distribute to eligible businesses and self-employed people who have not so far qualified for payment from any other funds.
The fund opened for applications for six days at the beginning of this month and applications received have now been processed. We expect confirmation shortly of the exact level of extra funding we will receive from the Scottish Government, so the fund can now re-open for applications.
Full details and the application form will be available on the council website from 9am on Thursday 25th February and will close at 5pm on Friday 5th March.
Businesses and those who are self-employed that may be eligible for this discretionary support include:
- Anyone supplying goods or services to businesses that have been closed or restricted
- Anyone facing hardship as an indirect consequence of the current travel restrictions
- Any individual or company without business premises so ineligible for grants attached to the rates system
The following will not be eligible:
- Any business that has received a grant through the Strategic Framework Business Fund (Closure/Restriction Fund).
- Taxi, Private Hire and Coach Operators, Mobile Close Contact Services, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Visitor Attractions, Wedding and Events venues and accommodation providers. Separate funding was announced for these types of businesses by the Scottish Government on 9th December 2020 and details are on the council website.