Bucks Council extends grant scheme after criticism for excluding beauty sector

Initially, the council felt there would be too great a demand to make the funding available to all businesses
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Bucks Council has extended its Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) to cover all businesses affected by Omicron.

Initially, the funding which allows businesses to receive £1,500 support, was only available to businesses in hospitality, events and transportation.

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Bucks CouncilBucks Council
Bucks Council

Business owners in Aylesbury in the hair and beauty sector felt aggrieved as hairdressers and salon owners across the country confirmed they'd been granted ARG funding from their councils.

Now, as the council hasn't received as much demand as previously expected, more businesses such as hair beauty stores can apply for funding.

Bucks Council Leader Martin Tett said: “When the ARG Booster funding was distributed, the amount allocated to our area was limited and so to ensure the best use, we restricted applications to those businesses we believed to be most seriously affected by the impact of the Omicron variant.

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"Since the number of applications we have received for this funding has been lower than expected, we have now opened up our criteria so that businesses from all sectors can now apply.”

The deadline for applications is midnight on February 23.

More information on how to apply for funding is available on the council's website here.

Councillor Tett added: “We want to help all our local businesses to recover from what has been a turbulent and unpredictable couple of years.

"This funding is there to support any eligible business that needs it. I would urge people to come forward and apply because once the money has gone, it’s gone.

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"We want our local economy to emerge successfully from the challenges the pandemic has posed and with our partners we will do all we can to ensure these businesses are fully supported.”

Larger funding of up to £6,000 has been made available for hospitality businesses which is capped at £6,000.

This money was ring-fenced specifically for the hospitality sector on government instruction, applications for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) can be made online here.