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 Business support funding schemes

Omicron business support funding

Additional Restrictions Grant (Omicron discretionary funding scheme)

Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF)

 General information

Keeping your business safe and face coverings

Temporary pavement licences

Use of marquees to increase outdoor space

Business Rates discounts

Loans and other support

Keeping your business safe and face coverings

The Government has issued guidance to help businesses continue to protect your staff and customers from the risk of Covid-19.

Read the Government's advice on keeping your business safe.

Omicron business support funding

 The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant was a one-off grant of up to £6,000 to support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses.

The closing date for applications was 11:59pm on 18 March 2022. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be processed.

Additional Restrictions Grant (Omicron discretionary funding scheme)

The Additional Restriction Grant (ARG) 2022 was a one-off grant councils could use to support businesses from all sectors severely impacted by the impact of coronavirus restrictions or the Omicron variant. This included businesses outside of the Business Rates system.

This scheme has now closed.

Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF)

The Government introduced a new COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) of £1.5 billion.

The fund was to support businesses affected by the pandemic but that did not qualify for existing support linked to business rates.

Support is provided as a discount on Business Rates bills – known as Business Rates Relief – for the financial year 2021/22 rather than a cash grant.

The deadline for applying for CARF funding was 11.59pm on 18 March 2022.

To apply for CARF after 18 March 2022 please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and put ‘CARF Application Request’ in the subject heading.

This scheme will close for any additional applications on 30 June 2022.

Read the pdf Malvern Hills District Council CARF guidelines (151 KB) before applying.

Applications will be processed according to the privacy policies of Malvern Hills District Council.

Find out more about how Malvern Hills District Council will use and keep your information safe.

Temporary pavement licences

To help support the reopening of hospitality this summer, the Government has extended legislation allowing pubs, cafes, restaurants and other eateries to put removable furniture (tables, chairs etc) outside their premises on pavements and the public highway until September 2022.

To do this you will need to apply for a temporary pavement licence. The licence is valid for six months therefore if you had one last year this may have now expired.

They cost £100 and can be applied for by filling in the form on the Worcestershire Regulatory Services website.

Apply for a temporary pavement licence

Use of marquees to increase outdoor space

Pubs, cafes and restaurants can put up a marquee on their own land without the need for planning permission for an unlimited number of days.

Pubs, restaurants, cafes and historic visitor attractions in listed buildings will be able to put up a marquee for 120 days in a 12-month period, but will need to apply for permission from us first.

These changes have now been made permanent by the Government as part of changes to Permitted Development Rights.

Read more about changes to Permitted Development Rights for pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Business Rates discounts

Discounts on Business Rates were extended in the budget on 3 March 2021 for certain businesses. Visit our Business Rates Reliefs page for more information.

Loans and other support

There is a range of other financial support available to help you through this challenging time.

Please read the Government's guide to financial support for jobs and businesses for more information.

You can also visit the Government's business support page.

You can sign up to our business e-newsletter and we will provide you with the latest updates direct to your inbox.