Over £800m in coronavirus grants still to be allocated to businesses in England

Local authorities in England still have £850m in grants for businesses impacted by coronavirus.

Official figures show that £556m of the £635m funding from the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme has yet to be allocated. The government announced the funding in December to help hospitality and leisure firms impacted by the new coronavirus varient. It provides grants of up to £6,000, dependent on the premises' rateable value.

Another £294m is also still available through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme which has been paying out grants since November 2020 and was topped up with £102m last December. Local authorities have the freedom to decide how to allocate the grants and which businesses receive them. Councils are using a wide variety of eligibility. Here's a selection of the latest schemes.

The proportion of grants accessed by businesses varies widely by region. In the South West only 4% of the £123,887,322 allocation has been handed out, whereas in Yorkshire and the Humber 21% of £64,685,016 has been provided.

According to the Times, council representatives said the funds are "unclaimed rather than undistributed" and they are having to deal with different grants over different timeframes with checks of businesses having to be carried out before payments are made.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has written to local authorities with more than 5% left over from previous ARG funding rounds and instructed them to disburse the grants. Small business minister Paul Scully has also urged local councils to get the funding to companies as soon as possible.

"We're working to get our economy running on all cylinders again so we can focus on making the UK the best place in the world to work and do business, creating jobs along the way," Scully said.

"Eligible businesses should apply as soon as possible for the grants available to help them put the pandemic behind them and get on a sounder footing to achieve success."

If you think you are eligible for a grant, you can find your local council's website here.