Missing out on Rate relief and grants

[Andrew Bolton]

Our business is essentially 'Retail' but operating from industrial premises where we manufacture, prepare and stock the goods. The new restrictions prevent us from supplying our goods as they need to be delivered and installed in homes.
Our rateable value is £30k so it appears we dont qualify for Small Business Rate Relief (under £15k) and the £10k grant, nor the £25k grant because we are not retail premises in the conventional way, and yet the new restrictions have brought our business to standstill, and we have to continue to pay £1700 per month rates with no grants available.
I appreciate not everyone can be helped with handouts, but it seems we fall between 2 stools, and there must many similar business structures like ours who won't get a bean
Anyone have any further insights or suggestions on this matter ?

 

[anonuk]

My understanding is that if your premises were to be classified as ‘Retail’ your rates would be significantly higher anyway, so while you might have qualified for £25,000 grant now, you would have had to be paying significantly more in rates than you will be paying while being classified as ‘warehouse’.

 

[kulture]

Retail under the grant scheme means a place where customers visit frequently and buy direct in face to face transactions. Such use typically has a high rateable value.

there are a range of businesses that have slipped between the cracks in the scheme . In recent days some have been covert by changes to the scheme. So go look on the valuation list. See how many other similar businesses like you have been missed. Contact them all and start lobbying. If enough do this then the scheme may be extended again.

 

[ADW]

When you say "essentially retail" what is it you do? I am sure there are many grey areas both on business operations and premises.

Loads of companies have basically been shutdown and fall outside of grants and rate relief. We are similar to yourselves but supply retail outlets that were the first to be hit, which in turn means our market will be last to open back up. Most of our customer base gets the extra support but the secondary tiers in the chain get little. It is like this across many sectors...... here are whole supply chains into the likes of cafes/pubs/restaurants which all have ground to a halt with little help.

 

[SillyBill]

Our business is essentially 'Retail' but operating from industrial premises where we manufacture, prepare and stock the goods. The new restrictions prevent us from supplying our goods as they need to be delivered and installed in homes.
Our rateable value is £30k so it appears we dont qualify for Small Business Rate Relief (under £15k) and the £10k grant, nor the £25k grant because we are not retail premises in the conventional way, and yet the new restrictions have brought our business to standstill, and we have to continue to pay £1700 per month rates with no grants available.
I appreciate not everyone can be helped with handouts, but it seems we fall between 2 stools, and there must many similar business structures like ours who won't get a bean
Anyone have any further insights or suggestions on this matter ?

Just the way it is I am afraid, there has to be some arbitrary lines drawn. Not entitled to anything bar deferral of VAT to the end of the year and the furloughed credit (which again I don't expect to see the benefit of for several weeks/months). Cash flow could kill a lot because as good as these schemes are they could be treating the patient after they've died. Quite a good probability it will be 2-3 months from the shutdown happening before you could see a penny. The truly abysmal number of loans made as well vs applications suggests a lot in immediate need of capital aren't getting it.

 

[Andrew Bolton]

Thanks everyone, and of course I agree with all your 'helpful' comments. We supply a specialist furniture product, that ironically is sought after for Home -schooling and Home-working, and yet we are restrained by the social distancing measures, preventing us from installing in any household. I guess it as I feared, but like Kulture suggested, it seems if sufficient numbers create a body with which to lobby the Treasury, they will may be added to the #meToo list