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Growth grant

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Delivery: May 2025 – March 2026

Grant Guidance Policy and Information Notes for Business Applicants

Investment Priority – Supporting Local Business

Intervention E23: Strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems, and supporting businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow and innovate, including through local networks.

Introduction

Bassetlaw District Council has secured funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  This will enable Bassetlaw District Council to offer a High Street Support Grant and support and advice until the 31st March 2026.

This funding is linked to investment priority: Supporting Local Business

Intervention E23: Strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems, and supporting businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow and innovate, including through local networks

 

UKSPF Indicative Output Indicator

UKSPF Outcome Indicator
  • Number of potential entrepreneurs provided assistance to be business ready
  • Number of organisations receiving financial support other than grants
  • Number of organisations receiving grants
  • Number of organisations receiving non-financial support
  • Jobs created
  • Jobs safeguarded
  • Number of new businesses created
  • Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes
  • Increased number of businesses engaged in new markets
  • Number of businesses with improved productivity
  • Number of businesses introducing new products to the firm

UKSPF Outputs and Outcomes relating to intervention E23

What is the Growth Grant?

Through UKSPF, the Council has allocated £100k to support businesses across the District from May 2025 till March 2026 in the form of a grant.  Through engagement with one of our Business Advisers,  a requirement to apply has already been identified.  A maximum of £4000 is available to successful applicants.  Adviser support through BDC is available to assist you with completing the application. 

Please not that the Council cannot cover the VAT element and therefore we can only cover net costs

Please read below before making an application:-

  1. You must be a business located and operating within Bassetlaw District
  2. You must not employ more than 150 employees
  3. Your business must have been operating for 3 years and over
  4. You have not applied in previous funding rounds
  5. You have business premises and pay rates to Bassetlaw District Council or claim SBR (Small Business Rate Relief)
  6. You will have engaged with a Business Adviser at BDC and a requirement to apply for a grant has been identified
  7. A maximum of £4000 can be awarded
  8. The business owner is not required to provide match funding but if the value of the activities outlined, exceed the value of the grant award (maximum £4000), the business owner will need to fund the difference.

Am I eligible to apply for a grant?

  1. This is available to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (employing up to 150 employees) operating and located the Bassetlaw District.
  2. Business owners must be able to provide a unique business identifier in the form of a Companies House Registration Number, VAT Registration Number or Unique Tax Reference Number to support their application.
  3. You are not eligible to apply: if your business is in administration, insolvent or where a striking-off notice has been made or the business has exceeded the permitted subsidy allowance.
  4. Internal checks will be carried out to determine if there is any outstanding debt to Bassetlaw District Council. If there is deemed to be any, then this needs to be brought back into credit before any application is progressed
  5. Grant receipients will need to evidence that the grant will be spent in full within 3 months of the grant being awarded.

How much grant could I receive?

A grant of up to £4,000 is available to contribute towards eligible project costs.

The grant programme will be administered on a first come first served basis as there is a limited amount of funding. Only one grant application per business is permitted. Your application will be reviewed by a panel within three weeks of it being submitted.  Their decision is final and there is no right to appeal.

How do I apply?

Applicants will need to submit:

  • An electronic application form. The application form needs to be completed in full and documents requested uploaded to support your application. The link to the application form will be provided to business owners on email to submit their application.
  • The action plan outlining the business improvement you are to implement.
  • The amount of grant you are requesting up to the value of £4000 and what it will contribute towards.
  • A recent copy of a bank statement (covering a period with the last 3-months) to verify the bank account details.
  • A recent copy of your accounts
  • Please note that you cannot apply for the Growth Grant if your business is based on the High Street.

Applications must be submitted by the business owner; applications submitted on the business owner’s behalf will not be accepted.

What can I use the grant for?

The grant can be used towards the following costs:

  1. Developing a website for your business or enhancing an existing one.
  2. Adaption or introduction of e-commerce into the business i.e. allowing you to sell your products/services over the internet.
  3. Adaption or introduction of an electronic payment system into your business i.e. contactless payments and click & collect.
  4. Setting up or assistance to use existing social media platforms more effectively.
  5. Developing a marketing plan and delivering associated activities.
  6. Engaging consultancy support to implement the above.
  7. This is not an exhaustive list but provided as an example of business improvement techniques that will be supported.

The grant cannot be used for the following:

  1. Contribution towards the purchase/lease of a vehicle
  2. Rent or deposit for premises
  3. Working capital
  4. Stock/materials
  5. Wages or other revenue items
  6. Debt or loan repayments
  7. Insurance costs
  8. Legal Services
  9. Planning Fees
  10. In retrospect to cover costs already incurred prior to the grant award.

You may be liable to financial clawback from the Council if money is spent on ineligible costs.

When is the grant paid?

  1. 100% will be paid when we receive a signed agreement of our grant offer.
  2. Grant payment will be made directly into the applicant’s business bank account via BACS.

Other important information

Any grant income your business receives is taxable. You must include the grant award as income on your tax return. You’ll only pay tax if your business makes an overall profit once grant income is included.

You will have 3 months from confirmation of the grant awarded to supply evidence to the Council of the grant being spent in the form of invoices/receipts.  Failure to do so will result in the grant being paid back in full.

For further information please contact the Economic Development Team via email economic.development@bassetlaw.gov.uk

Last Updated on Thursday, May 8, 2025