Chancellor introduces new grants to support SMEs affected by Omicron variant

Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100 million discretionary funding will be made available to allow local authorities the discretion to allocate this funding to businesses most in need.

Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK. The SSPRS will help employers with fewer than 250 employees by reimbursing them for the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences, for up to 2 weeks per employee. Firms will be eligible for the scheme from today and they will be able to make claims retrospectively from mid-January.

£30 million further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said:

"We recognise that the spread of the Omicron variant means businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors are facing huge uncertainty, at a crucial time.

"So we’re stepping in with £1 billion of support, including a new grant scheme, the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund."