Skip to content

Coronavirus - support for businesses

Coronavirus business support grants

Our business grant form is now live.

Please make sure you follow the instructions very carefully and add the information EXACTLY as it is laid out on your business rates bill.

Please ensure you have the following information with you before you start your application:

  • The name of the business as it appears on your business rates bill
  • Evidence of your business bank statement (a screenshot of either your paper statement or online banking statement) showing your account details and recent transactions
  • Your business rates reference number (if you don’t have this to hand, please call our Customer Services team on 01271 327711 or email customerservices@northdevon.gov.uk)
  • Your VAT number if VAT registered
  • Your company number if a limited company

Once the form is submitted, it will tell you if you are eligible for a grant or not. The eligibility criteria is here.

Apply for a coronavirus business support grant

The grants are to support the many small businesses which pay little or no business rates because of Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR). The government has promised to provide £10,000 cash grants to businesses across the country which are currently eligible for either SBRR or Rural Rate Relief, to help meet their ongoing business costs. 

A £25,000 grant will also be provided to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from smaller premises, with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.

If you're having any problems with the form, please email our Business Rates team on businessrates@northdevon.gov.uk.

Eligibility guidance

Full government guidance is available on their business support pages.

UK Government advice for businesses

The government have set up a webpage for businesses where all the latest advice and guidance can be found.

Access UK Government business support

Business lockdown checklist to do/contact suppliers

We have compiled a checklist to help businesses during lockdown.

Take part in our business impact survey

If you're a business owner in the North Devon or Torridge districts, please take five minutes to complete our survey about the impact of the pandemic on your business and the steps you are taking. This will help us ensure you are receiving the right support and help shape recovery plans.

Business support flowchart 

We have created a flowchart (4,487KB) to help businesses through the Covid-19 outbreak. The flowchart will help you understand what support is available to you and how you can access it. 

Business support from North Devon Plus

If you would like to speak to a business advisor about your cash-flow, business planning or general business support you can contact our business support agency, North Devon+.

Virtual career fair 

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have launched a virtual career fair for those who have been made redundant, or been affected by the closure of employers in the Heart of the South West.

Expanded retail discount

All letters and revised bills in relation to the businesses being awarded the expanded retail discount have been sent out to eligible businesses.

Which properties will benefit from relief?

The letters and revised bills in relation to the businesses being awarded the expanded retail discount have been sent out to eligible businesses.Properties that will benefit from 100% retail discount are to include the following;

  • shops (such as: florists, bakers, butchers, grocers, greengrocers, jewellers, stationers, off licences, chemists, newsagents, hardware stores, supermarkets, etc)
  • charity shops
  • non-local authority childcare providers
  • opticians
  • post offices
  • furnishing shops/ display rooms (such as: carpet shops, double glazing, garage doors)
  • car/caravan show rooms  
  • second-hand car lots
  • markets  
  • petrol stations
  • garden centres
  • art galleries (where art is for sale/hire)
  • hair and beauty services (such as: hair dressers, nail bars, beauty salons, tanning shops, etc)
  • shoe repairs/key cutting
  • travel agents
  • ticket offices eg. for theatre 
  • dry cleaners
  • launderettes 
  • PC/TV/domestic appliance repair
  • funeral directors  
  • photo processing 
  • tool hire 
  • car hire
  • restaurants
  • takeaways 
  • sandwich shops
  • coffee shops
  • pubs
  • bars
  • cinemas
  • live music venues
  • sports grounds and clubs
  • museums and art galleries
  • nightclubs
  • sport and leisure facilities
  • stately homes and historic houses
  • theatres
  • tourist attractions
  • gyms
  • public halls 
  • clubhouses, clubs and institutions
  • hotels, Guest and Boarding Houses
  • holiday homes
  • caravan parks and sites
  • estate agents
  • lettings agencies
  • bingo halls

The list set out above is not intended to be exhaustive.