ARG : This (potentially) important information from the AVA may have been overlooked over the holidays – it dropped on 23 Dec – so we decided it’s better to share an old story than risk our readers missing out…
You’ll recall that before Christmas, Dishi Rish announced an additional £1bn support package for businesses hit by Omicron, including those in hospitality and leisure. The odds-on future PM also promised to boost the Additional Restrictions Grant fund, ARG, by £102m. In England, The ARG fund is allocated at the discretion of local authorities to businesses outside hospitality and leisure, including suppliers, who have been impacted by the pandemic. The £102m top-up will be prioritised for those local authorities that distributed the most of their existing ARG fund allocation.
As the AVA discovered, over the period since the ARG was first announced each of the 306 English Local Authorities has taken a different view regarding who is eligible for these grants – and who isn’t. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, funds are allocated centrally, so there’s no ‘post code lottery’.
‘But,’ AVA CEO David Llewellyn is at pains to point out, ‘if you were successful last time – try again! Members can potentially receive up to £6,000 from the ARG, depending upon impact and rateable value. The AVA recommends that members apply as soon as possible, through their local council’s website.
Find your local council’s web site: www.gov.uk
More about ARG from www.gov.uk, HERE
Visit Planet Vending, HERE
About the AVA
The Vending & Automated Retail Association, (AVA), is the trade body of the vending and automated retail industries in the UK. Every year, UK consumers spend around £1.5 billion in more than 420,000 unattended refreshment dispensers. Every day, 8 million cups of coffee and 2 million cups of tea are dispensed.
ARG : Today’s machines and services are sophisticated and technologically advanced. They are designed to provide the highest quality service, reliably and hygienically, 24 hours a day
