In the Spotlight

Gloucester Means Business Grant Scheme

Are you looking for new commercial premises in Gloucester to expand your business or take your first entrepreneurial step by starting up in business? Do you need financial assistance to make this happen? Do you wish to benefit from free professional business advice and support?

If the answer to these questions is yes, you may be eligible for financial support through the City Council's Gloucester Means Business Grant Scheme.

What will the Scheme offer?

A 50% rent grant of your first years basic rent on commercial premises within the City of Gloucester for start-up businesses, which have either moved into their property in the City of Gloucester within the last 12 months or are taking up a vacant unit in the city.

The maximum grant available is £3,000 per business for occupiers of ground floor premises within the Primary Retail Area and up to a maximum of £1,000 per business for upper floor occupiers of premises in the Primary Retail Area and for other businesses citywide.

Will my business be eligible?

In order for your business to qualify for the Grant Scheme it must meet some basic criteria :–

The business must either be:

• A start-up business within the first year of trading

In addition, to qualify, businesses must:

• Be sole traders, partnerships, co-operatives or limited companies
• Have good employment growth prospects
• Normally be engaged in activities providing jobs within the retail sector or
  providing higher value and/or graduate level jobs or be of significant community benefit e.g. advanced engineering including aerospace; ICT and new media; creative industries; environmental technologies; services to industry;
  community enterprises
• Employ no more than 150 full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees at the
  time of application
• Have attended a business review meeting with a Business Link South West Adviser
• Be proposing to occupy a property or have previously occupied one within
  the last 12 months that is either commercial, retail or office

How do I apply?

If you believe your business is eligible for a grant, please download the scheme's Application Notes and Expression of Interest Form.

If you have any queries or wish to request a hard copy of these documents please contact us by email eds@gloucester.gov.uk or call 01452 396986 or 396972.

Once you have read the Application Notes and returned your completed Expression of Interest form, you will need to contact David Harris of Business Link South West on 0845 600 9966 and request an appointment for the "Gloucester Means Business Grant Scheme" with a local Gloucester based Business Link Adviser.

The Business Link Adviser will meet with you to discuss your Business Plan, which they will request that you bring to your meeting. After any necessary amendments, successful Business Plans will be recommended and forwarded to the Economic Development Service by the Business Link Adviser.

After successful recommendations, we will forward you an Application Form, which you will need to fully and accurately complete and return to the Economic Development Service along with the following:

• A current Business Plan including a Cashflow Forecast
• A copy of the company's Equal Opportunities Policy
• A copy of the company's Environmental Policy
• A signed copy of the SME declaration
• A copy of the completed City Council Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

You will also be sent a form to complete and send to the manager of the bank where your company's nominated company bank account is held, authorising them to provide Gloucester City Council with a bank reference (including Sort Code and Account Number).

The decision to award the grant will rest with the Economic Development Service with awards being granted based on applications satisfactorily demonstrating that they meet the outlined criteria, conditions, information requests and scheme priorities

The Economic Development Service's decision is final.