Local Authority Discretionary Fund (Scotland)
The Scottish Government has announced its latest Local Authority Discretionary Fund with a total value of £60m which is to be used by individual local authorities to provide additional support to businesses where they consider that necessary or justified.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the Local Authority Discretionary Fund.
The aim of this fund is to mitigate the short term financial challenges being experienced by businesses adversely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and regulations and it enables each of the 32 individual local authorities in Scotland to direct additional financial support to specific groups, sectors or businesses within their local business communities who are experiencing immediate financial challenges as a result of current restrictions and regulations.
Individual local authorities may choose to use the fund to provide discretionary support to individuals or companies without business premises who have therefore been ineligible for grants linked to rateable values. This may be of value to a some PGA Members in Scotland.
It is important to note that:-
- Each local authority can use this fund at their discretion, so grant funding may be provided in some parts of the country and not others;
- Eligibility for grant funding may differ between local authorities, as may the timing of issuing the details of each discretionary fund and opening of applications; and
- The window for making claims is likely to be very short – for example, both East Lothian and Falkirk Councils open for application on 3 February and close at 5pm on 8 February 2021. Other local authorities are likely to work to similar tight deadlines.
Members are encouraged to check their own local authority website for available support as a matter of priority in order to take advantage of any discretionary grants they may be eligible for at local level.”
