Last updated: 12 January 2021
Southampton City Council moved to the government’s new national lockdown restrictions on 5 January 2021.
All non-essential retail, hospitality and personal care services must close, or remain closed. Restaurants can continue delivery, takeaway or click-and-collect of food and non-alcoholic drinks, but venues will no longer be able to serve takeaway or click-and-collect alcohol.
Essential shops and garden centres can remain open. Entertainment venues and animal attractions such as zoos must close, but the outdoor areas of venues such as heritage homes and botanical gardens can remain open, to be used for exercise. Playgrounds may also remain open.
Indoor and outdoor sports facilities including sports courts, gyms, golf courses, swimming pools, and riding arenas must also close. Elite sport and disabled sport can continue, as can PE lessons for those children attending school.
Find out more information on the national lockdown measures on the GOV.UK website.
Local Restriction Support Grants and Top Up Grants for the period 26 December 2020 - 15 February 2021
The government is providing further funding through grants to businesses required to close and one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring.
If you have applied for a grant for the period 5 November 2020 – 2 December 2020 you do not need to make further applications and you do not need to contact us (unless you no longer wish to receive further grant funding). We aim to issue further payment in the week commencing 18 January 2021.
If you have not yet received this payment but have made an application, we will contact you.
If you have not completed an application for the period 5 November 2020 – 2 December 2020 please complete Local Restrictions Support Grant (for the period 5 November 2020 – 2 December 2020) application form.
For more information regarding the Local Restriction Support Grants and Top Up Grants for the period 26 December 2020 – 15 February 2021
Further information on this one-off payment can be found at GOV.UK website.
Apply for Local Restrictions Support Grants (Open) for the period (for the period 2 December 2020 - 25 December 2020)
This is a NOT a grant for the Tier 4 restrictions.
These grants are now available to some businesses as Southampton was designated "Local COVID Alert Level ‘High’ (Tier 2)" for the period 2 December 2020 – 25 December 2020.
These schemes support businesses that were open as usual, providing services in person to customers from their business premises but were nonetheless severely impacted by reduced demand caused by Tier 2 restrictions on socialising.
Local Restrictions Support Grants (Open) will only provide support to hospitality, hotel, bed and breakfast and leisure sector businesses liable for business rates (NNDR).
You can download the Additional Restrictions and Local Restrictions Support Grant policy for more information.
The grant regarding the qualifying period will be paid to each eligible business. The grant amounts under both schemes will be fixed.
Apply online for Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open)
Additional Restrictions Grant
This scheme is to provide support for those businesses that have been directly and adversely impacted by the new national restrictions effective from 5 November 2020 and are not being supported via the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
The purpose of this scheme is to support those businesses that have been most impacted by the local restrictions. Hospitality, hotel, bed & breakfast and leisure businesses should apply to the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open).
Please note this scheme is only open to eligible businesses. You are advised to carefully familiarise yourself with the Additional Restrictions policy to ensure your business is eligible. If your business is not eligible you should not apply as your submission will automatically rejected.
If you have already applied to the Local Restrictions Support Grant you should not apply to this scheme. All submissions will be cross referenced. You can download the Additional Restrictions and Local Restrictions Support Grant policy.
Apply online for Additional Restrictions Grant
Christmas Support Payment for wet-led pubs (available to open wet-led pubs and closed wet-led pubs)
On 1 December 2020, the Government announced the introduction of additional support over the festive period for wet-led pubs in areas under Tier 2 or 3 restrictions. Southampton City Council at 2 December 2020 is in Tier 2. View full scheme guidance.
Key points:
- This scheme will close 29 December 2020
- Final applications must be received by 31 January 2021
- The grant is a flat rate of £1,000
- Pubs that derive less than 50% of their income from food sales will be eligible to receive funding through this grant scheme (available to open wet-led pubs and closed wet-led pubs)
- For these purposes, the definition of a pub should exclude: restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, hotels, snack bars, guesthouses, boarding houses, sporting venues, music venues, festival sites, theatres, museums, exhibition halls, cinemas, concert halls and casinos
- Businesses must have been trading on 30 November 2020 (the day before this scheme was announced) to be eligible to receive funding under this scheme. Where local restrictions are preceded by national ‘lockdown’ measures, requiring the closure of businesses that are otherwise eligible, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
You can now view further information and apply online
Local Restrictions Support Grant (for the period 5 November 2020 – 2 December 2020)
You can now view further information and apply online for the Local Restrictions Support Grant. Only complete the application form if applying for assistance for the period 5 November 2020 to 2 December 2020.
Please do not complete this application form if you have already received a payment for the period 5 November 2020 – 2 December 2020.
For more details of the Local Restriction Support Grants and Top Up Grants for the period 26.12.20 – 15.02.21
Please read this guidance before submitting an application to ensure you are eligible.