Reprieve for B&Bs as £617m plugs funding gap
OWNERS of B&Bs who were told they would not be able to get coronavirus grants because they paid council tax have been handed a reprieve by the Government. Its £617 million fund announced yesterday will in part go to support B&Bs which pay council tax so they can have the same support as those paying business rates.
David Weston, chairman of the B&B Association told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It looks like B&Bs have been given a reprieve. We’re all really pleased .’ Yesterday’ s announcement means thousands of B&B owners who would have missed out on crucial grants due to a technicality are now able to apply to their local authorities for grants of £10,000 or more, depending on the final details.
Said Weston: ‘These are people for whom running a B&B is their l i velihood and they have been legally paying council tax rather than business rates. However, since March 23 they have seen their income fall to nothing while still being liable for costs. B&Bs are part of the heritage of Britain and it would have been a tragedy if we lost them just because of the way these grants were being delivered.’
It was a l ove of the TV programme Heartbeat which prompted Gill Craddock and her husband Dave to move to Goathland, North Yorkshire – also known as Aidensfield, the setting for the popular series – in 2014 to run a bed and breakfast.
Former teacher Gill and selfemployed builder Dave worked
hard to convert their new home into Mill Croft B&B with three ensuite double rooms and meeting all the required regulations.
When it came to registering their business, their l ocal valuation officer told them to pay council tax rather than business rates.
‘ Never in a million years did I question his advice,’ says Gill. But after the nationwide shutdown in March Gill was told they weren’t eligible for t he Government’s small business grants – because they do not pay business rates.
Yesterday, Gill said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ to hear that the Government was to plug the gap for B&B owners such as herself.
‘This is really good news,’ said Gill. ‘ We’ve yet to see the full details and I know there is still a process to go through, but a £10,000 grant will be an absolute lifeline for us.
‘We have pretty much written off this entire season when it should have been our best and without this it would have been a miracle just to survive.’