Ltd Co. Growth Grant ~ 25K ~ Open Until Feb 2022 ~ Cheshire and Other Areas

**northernladuk** · 1 January 2022, 23:58

Lots of problems with this and it's all in the details.

Some councils seem prejudiced against 1-man companies trading from a residential address,

For pretty obvious reasons.

These grants are awarded if you can convince the council your expenditure will contribute to the growth of your limited company following pandemic disruption.

The guidance I received from the operator stressed the importance of phrases like 'new revenue streams', 'business growth' and 'efficiency' in any written responses

Which alone will mean 99.9% of us won't be eligible, again for fairly obvious reasons. The few on here that run a true company might still be interested and I'm sure there will be others that think they can come up with a pack of lies that will fulfill the criteria.

but in Cheshire the scheme is still open until February 2022.

The types of businesses that are eligible under the sector thresholds for this scheme include the following: • Travel agents • Tour or group travel operator • Pet Boarding Businesses • Nightclubs • Theatres and cinemas • Conference centres and exhibition centres including for use as banquet halls and other events • Wedding venues which include hotels, country houses, and wedding barns OFFICIAL 6 • Events venues excluding village halls and community centres • Event organisers • Businesses which directly supply the weddings/civil partnerships or events venues including florists, event caterers, decorations, party / tableware suppliers, marquee hire, outfitters (including wedding/civil partnership dresses or tailored suits), wedding photography service, DJs, bands and music professionals’, wedding vehicles.

So not us.

I can't see how a standard contractor could be eligble for this, even if it's still open and covers IT. Unless you've properly made up the business justification/plan then we can't meet the basic criteria.

Don't want to be rude but looking back at your posting history I don't see anything there that tells me you are a consultancy that delivers anything more than your personal services. The thread about covid clauses in your contract also leads me to think you are just a bum on seat day rate contractor so how exactly did you word your business plan and your justification to get this? The fact you mentioned you 'learnt the hard way' indicates you've had a pop at it and had to go back to the drawing board to come up with something that might pass. Yes you can play on the fact the poor civil servant sifting through these isn't capable to spot a tall story when making a decision but that isn't a reason to apply.

Do we assume you got yours and would you like to give us some more detail how?

**NotAllThere** · 2 January 2022, 07:26

These grants are awarded if you can convince the council your expenditure will contribute to the growth of your limited company following pandemic disruption

As NLUK says, it seems highly unlikely that most contractors could do this honestly. On the face of it, it looks like you could be advocating fraud.

**cojak** · 2 January 2022, 08:50

Yep, looks criminal to me too.

Do you do this to your clients as well?

**killingtime** · 2 January 2022, 11:44

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Lots of problems with this and it's all in the details.

Which alone will mean 99.9% of us won't be eligible, again for fairly obvious reasons.
...
So not us.
...
I can't see how a standard contractor could be eligble for this, even if it's still open and covers IT.
...
Don't want to be rude but looking back at your posting history I don't see anything there that tells me you are a consultancy that delivers anything more than your personal services. The thread about covid clauses in your contract also leads me to think you are just a bum on seat day rate contractor so how exactly did you word your business plan and your justification to get this? The fact you mentioned you 'learnt the hard way' indicates you've had a pop at it and had to go back to the drawing board to come up with something that might pass. Yes you can play on the fact the poor civil servant sifting through these isn't capable to spot a tall story when making a decision but that isn't a reason to apply.
...
Do we assume you got yours and would you like to give us some more detail how?

You really are over thinking this northernladuk.

All grants have qualifying criteria. You either meet the criteria or you don't, and you won't find out unless you apply.

Yes, I got all of the grant I applied for, without lying or embellishing the application.

>>would you like to give us some more detail how?

Just use your brain, and muster up the courage to make an application. Being honest doesn't mean you have to make a rubbish application.

Once again, you won't know until you try. Worst case they'll just turn your application down.

With respect to the criteria you've posted (..So not us...) , I can't see where you've got this from (looks like it might be from the Extended Restrictions Grant criteria, which is different to the growth grant, if it's the PDF you've read). It's not part of the recovery grant criteria for my ward. Any business trading within the ward boundary on or after 1 April 2021 qualified. Other Councils will have different criteria though, which is why I said people should check.

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

As NLUK says, it seems highly unlikely that most contractors could do this honestly. On the face of it, it looks like you could be advocating fraud.

Speak for yourself. If you can't make a successful application, that doesn't mean everyone else is like you. No fraud. Just letting people know that there are grants available and that they may be eligible.

Originally posted by cojak View Post

Yep, looks criminal to me too.

Do you do this to your clients as well?

You're welcome to your opinion. So you won't be applying then. That's more money for others that do apply. The funds are made available on a first come first served basis.

FYI, I was completely open about the fact I'm a one man consultancy company based from a residential address. The business case I put forward clarified that. I even clarified I hold no stock at the trading address and don't accept clients there (you run the risk of business rates otherwise). I had to submit filed accounts and multiple bank statements as well. There's no hiding anything with that detail.

I really can't understand the resistance. It doesn't look like you've applied so I can only guess that you're afraid to make a claim. Perhaps it's the shame of making a claim? Or perhaps you don't plan on any business growth. Perhaps you don't want the money? Fair enough. Some people just don't like to try, that way they can never be accused of failing. I see that a lot, and it holds people back.

Regards.

**northernladuk** · 2 January 2022, 15:17

Originally posted by killingtime View Post

FYI, I was completely open about the fact I'm a one man consultancy company based from a residential address. The business case I put forward clarified that. I even clarified I hold no stock at the trading address and don't accept clients there (you run the risk of business rates otherwise). I had to submit filed accounts and multiple bank statements as well. There's no hiding anything with that detail.

I'm sure you were but I'd love to see the business case. We are one man bums on seats. We can't meet any growth or employment critera unless the is a liberal dose of untruths in there. You may 'think' you are a business and can extend in to micro consultancy etc but you can't so it's highly likely to be anything like reality. You said yourself you found out the hard way so you got refused and then just applied again putting in what they told you and not what the reality is.

I mean. What use is a grant to a one man bum on seat PSC? You've been inside for quite awhile I believe so that alone makes the whole process a mockery. How can you be a business with a business plan when you'll happily take the next gig inside?

I really can't understand the resistance. It doesn't look like you've applied so I can only guess that you're afraid to make a claim. Perhaps it's the shame of making a claim? Or perhaps you don't plan on any business growth. Perhaps you don't want the money? Fair enough. Some people just don't like to try, that way they can never be accused of failing. I see that a lot, and it holds people back.

Because we've seen this type of post numerous times over the next two years covering a number of different grants/loans and every single one of them has not been open to us unless the truth has been warped to the point it doesn't resemble reality. So everytime someone posts one of these, we have a quick scan of the criteria, apply a bit of common sense and find out quickly it's not for us.

So what's your business plan for an inside contractor?

**NotAllThere** · 2 January 2022, 15:23

killingtime

I'd be interested to know how you'll use this money to "contribute to the growth of your limited company following pandemic disruption".

If I were a council officer, I'd ask:

How has your company been disrupted due to the pandemic?
How will this grant offset that?

We're against it because it smacks of deceit and fraud. Even if it is legal, it stinks. HTH.

**malvolio** · 2 January 2022, 16:00

It's symptomatic of a wider issue, actually. There are many ways to obtain money to help you grow or to protect already taxed income from further donations to the treasury. Examples are EBTs, motor trader relief, film industry support, the various support packages around the pandemic.

All are perfectly reasonable and are based on the assumption that the money will come back to UK's GDP at some point by enabling investment.

Where it all goes tits up is where people use those ways outside them having a real need for them, claiming to be a motor trader with one transaction a year for example. Or to put it another way, "here's free money, let's see if we can get some for ourselves".

Billions of public money is disappearing through abuse of such things, so perhaps you can understand a degree of distrust for people promoting them...

**killingtime** · 2 January 2022, 16:07

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

killingtime

I'd be interested to know how you'll use this money to "contribute to the growth of your limited company following pandemic disruption".

If I were a council officer, I'd ask:

How has your company been disrupted due to the pandemic?
How will this grant offset that?

We're against it because it smacks of deceit and fraud. Even if it is legal, it stinks. HTH.

If you can't figure out how to use money to grow your business (or offset a negative interruption), then you're really in no position to be running a business IMHO.

The fact the money is coming from a grant is irrelevant.

It may stink to you, but that's because from the questions you're asking you just can't work out how to grow a business. That doesn't make the grant application dodgy, it just means you need more experience.

No offence.

If you really want to know how to answer the above questions, I'd suggest enrolling on a business course for SMEs.

Incidentally, many of the councils running the growth grant scheme offer these courses for free. I know Cheshire do. You don't even have to submit a grant claim.

If you're still unsure, then this grant probably isn't for you - so don't apply. Move on, but others may (and probably do) have better business skills than you, and will be able to answer the above questions with ease.

I didn't come on here to hold everyone's hand though an application. I just wanted to let them know these grants exists, and they worked for me without the need for any falsehoods or embellishments.

Regards.

**killingtime** · 2 January 2022, 16:30

Originally posted by malvolio View Post

It's symptomatic of a wider issue, actually. ....Billions of public money is disappearing through abuse of such things, so perhaps you can understand a degree of distrust for people promoting them...

Yes. I know of 3 company directors that took out 100% bounce back loans when the pandemic started. They all tup'd their staff across to new companies and are letting the old companies become insolvent. All the assets gone, nothing left for the government (who made the loan guarantee) to recover. It's quite common. Believe it or not, this isn't illegal.

I didn't do the above because it's dishonest and I'd rather not deal with creditors meetings and debt collectors.

I'm not promoting the recovery grant scheme. I'm just letting people know it exists and that it worked for me. My contracting arrangement is about as vanilla as they come, so if it worked for me there's a chance it will work for you.

Of course the acceptance criteria rules in your ward may be different, and if you don't qualify then so be it. I also can't guarantee that your written submission will be of the necessary quality to pass inspection - in which case your claim will be rejected. The same is true for any bank loan.

It would help if northernladuk had quoted the correct qualifying criteria for the grant I'm talking about (he didn't). The criteria he's quoted is for another grant that just happens to be in the same document and has much stricter requirements. The requirements for the grant I went for were quite relaxed, and that's why I applied. I don't see why people find this fact so dishonest. Should I be apologising for the fact my council made relaxed acceptance criteria on a particular grant? Let's keep it real.

It's almost as if by admitting you've been awarded something, you're admitting some sort of wrongdoing. Not the case. I wish people could see that. I'm not going to force them. All I can do is lead the horse to water. I can't make it drink. Nor do I want to. In this case I'm just letting the horse know where the water is, and that it won't be there for very long.

Just trying to help other SMEs out. That's all. Grants like this don't come along all the time.

Ltd Co. Growth Grant ~ 25K ~ Open Until Feb 2022 ~ Cheshire and Other Areas