Agenda item

Caroline Duffy, Business Development Officer, introduced the report which presented 23 Covid-19 Recovery Grant applications made by businesses for consideration by the Panel. She noted that 14 grants received were ineligible for the scheme as they did not meet the criteria including 6 that related to running costs, which have been redirected to the government grant funding. 2 separate applications were received from wedding venues however they share the same director and under the criteria, the Council would only fund one application. The applicant has however asked that the 2 businesses be considered separately given the impact of the virus on the venues so asked the Panel to consider whether they would be happy granting both applications or just one. Officers recommend that only the application from Ravenswood Venue Ltd be granted.

 

The applications which were recommended for consideration by the Panel are set out below:

 

Business / Contact	Purpose for which award is sought	Award Requested	Award Suggested
7th Heaven Salon Limited / Ellie Malins	Purchase IT equipment	£2,000.00	£2,000.00
First Recruitment Services Limited / Claire Sipple	IT Improvements	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
The Matthew Clift Collection Ltd / Matt Clift	IT equipment / website improvements	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
EBISS UK LTD / Wayne Forster	Website / vehicle / warehouse improvements	£12,000.00	£5,000.00
Beautiful Naturally / Laura Platt	New service / training / equipment	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Ravenswood Venue Ltd / Tony Tijhuis	Purchase IT equipment	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Strategic Marcomms Consultancy Ltd / Rebecca Jabbar	Online training website / materials	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
The Hub Kids Club Ltd / Gemma Coombes	Purchase equipment / ipads / staffing costs	£5,000.00	£2,000.00
Sixstar World Ltd / Sacha Dykes	Website improvements / software	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Jigsaw Occupational Therapy Ltd / Dominic Simpson	Training videos/ software / equipment	£1,500.00	£1,500.00
Limepalm Ltd / Susie Leppard	Website improvements / training / fees	£3,000.00	£3,000.00
Squires Planning Ltd / Andrew Metcalfe	IT equipment / software	£1,000.00	£1,000.00
International Location Safety Limited / Helen Hill	Digital marketing support	£1,000.00		£1,000.00
Jonathan Lea Ltd / Jonathan Lea	IT equipment	£4,675.00		£4,675.00
The Sport and Travel Group Ltd / Jon Ruben	IT equipment / membership fee	£4,391.00		£4,391.00
Avensys Ltd / Samantha Wood	Purchase equipment	£5,000.00		£5,000.00
The Fresh Fish Shop Ltd / Sebastian Candelon	Ecommerce / marketing / shop front	£3,829.00		£2,000.00
Hassocks Eyecare Centre Ltd / Vicki Macken	Improve premises	£2,000.00		£2,000.00
Highley Manor Venue Ltd / Tony Tijhuis	Improve premises	£5,000.00		£5,000.00
Flinders Coffee Ltd / Katrina Wale	Purchase equipment / seating / website	£5,000.00		£5,000.00
Purple Carrot Enterprises Ltd / Chris Wilson	Outdoor equipment / website / signage	£3,570.00		£3,570.00
The Tasting Rooms Wine Lounge Ltd / Rob Bliss	Outside area / equipment	£3,150.00		£3,150.00
Mid Sussex Osteopaths / Adam Fiske	Staff training / marketing / outreach work	£2,500.00		£2,500.00
TOTAL		£95,115.00		£82,786.00

 

The Vice-Chairman thought it was superb the way in which the council has supported local businesses. He however raised concerns as to whether it was right that the grant should be given to Jonathan Lea Ltd and concerns that the grant for Highley Manor Venue Ltd is not related to Covid-19 recovery but could be considered as an investment.

 

The Member believed that the Council needs to have good communications so that businesses make the correct applications. He noted that a few applications from the hospitality sector seek funding for heating and outdoor area development so asked the officer to explain the difference between similar applications.

 

The Business Development Officer confirmed that with respect to Jonathan Lea Ltd, the business took a hit in April and May, however they have since been trading well and can now employ two additional paralegals whilst also actively engaging with the Kick-Start Programme. Officers support the application as it is creating jobs and is also employing a person who has been made redundant during the Pandemic. With respect to the assessment of applications from the hospitality sector, development of an outdoor seating does meet the criteria however a factor of awarding a grant is based on how well the business presents their case. In the case of Hardings Bar & Catering Services Ltd (The Talbot) there was a lot of detail missing from their application therefore the Council has gone back to the applicant to encourage them to bring forward a stronger application.

 

The Chairman thanked the officers for the report, especially the pie chart which showed grant applications being broadly spread across the District.

 

The Vice-Chairman sought the Panel’s views on the duplicate application and whether the voting will be carried out all at once.

 

The Chairman believed it best to agree with the officer recommendation after having taken onboard the comments from the Panel. He then moved to the vote to approve all Covid-19 Recovery Grant applications except from Highley Manor Venue Ltd which was agreed unanimously.

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:

 

1. That £2,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to 7th Heaven Salon Limited to fund the purchase a new computer to continue to manage clients’ database.

 

2. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to First Recruitment Services Limited to fund the transition of IT into a cloud-based system.

 

3. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Matthew Clift Collection Ltd to pivot the business to offer Training platform - website build - iPad Pro, Pen & keyboard.

 

4. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to EBISS UK LTD to fund website improvements and online quoting system, warehouse improvements (art storage).

 

5. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Beautiful Naturally to fund the offer of a new service, including cost of training, equipment and licences (Microblading and Semi-Permanent make-up).

 

6. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Ravenswood Venue Ltd to fund the purchase of laptops to establish part of the wedding team to be able to work from home.

 

7. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Strategic Marcomms Consultancy Ltd to fund the delivery of training online and also enable clients to access (behind a paywall) anytime / anywhere.

 

8. That £2,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Hub Kids Club Ltd to fund the purchase of extra equipment to reduce sharing and to purchase iPads so the children can take part in socially distant activities online.

 

9. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Sixstar World Ltd to fund the change of website and create software to enable venues to list their own venues.

 

10. That £1,500 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Jigsaw Occupational Therapy Ltd to fund the provision of  additional remote support via the production of training videos for families, schools and other professionals.
    
    
11. That £3,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Limepalm Ltd to fund an e-commerce platform and services, development of a website to offer more non-contact provision.

 

12. That £1,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Squires Planning Ltd to fund the adaptation to home working, specifically the setup of a new PC to host GIS Systems and other business systems to enable home working.

 

13. That £1,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to International Location Safety Limited to purchase digital marketing consultancy support to create a digital marketing strategy, to market effectively new online courses so they are able to reach target audience, expand client base and maximise sales in order to capitalise on these new products.

 

14. That £4,675 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Jonathan Lea Ltd to fund the purchase of two computer work stations for paralegals and TV screen.

 

15. That £4,391 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Sport and Travel Group Ltd to purchase IT equipment to ensure they have flexibility to work in the current lockdown period.

 

 

16. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Avensys Ltd to fund the development of an online service, the purchase of Broadcast Quality Video Camera and Stream enabled Vision Mixer.

 

17. That £2,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Fresh Fish Shop Ltd to fund an e-commerce platform, marketing and advertising.

 

18. That £2,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Hassocks Eyecare Centre Ltd to fund an automatic front door which is safer for patients and staff allowing entering using no contact points. 

 

19. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Flinders Coffee Ltd to fund seating booths to aid social distancing, the creation of a website that will allow pre-orders / delivery for the local community and equipment to speed up takeaway offer. 

 

20. That £3,570 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Purple Carrot Enterprises Ltd to fund the adaptation of outside areas for use through the winter months small marquee covering the patio area, environmentally friendly heating, Covid barrier screens, large umbrella /sail structure for front exterior covering, patio security, further Covid safety signage, updating website and systems for online booking, ordering and payments.

 

21. That £3,150 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Tasting Rooms Wine Lounge Ltd to fund the development of an outside seating area.

 

22. That £2,500 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Mid Sussex Osteopaths to fund staff training, marketing and outreach work.

 

23. That no grant be released to Highley Manor Venue Ltd as the owners of the business are already in receipt of a grant.

 

24. That no grant be released to Mid-Sussex Super Cream as their application scored below 50% when assessed against the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

25. That no grant be released to Hardings Bar & Catering Services Ltd as their application scored below 50% when assessed against the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

26. That no grant be released to Just Drinking Water as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

27. That no grant be released to Burgess Hill Community Radio as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

28. That no grant be released to Trade Legion Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

29. That no grant be released to Ultimate Warrior Training Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

30. That no grant be released to Peewees Hair Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

31. That no grant be released to P&W Event Hire Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

32. That no grant be released to Enhance Aesthetics and Beauty as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

33. That no grant be released to Hair Obsession as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

34. That no grant be released to Cross Origin as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

35. That no grant be released to Salt Kettle Restaurants Ltd as the application was incomplete.

 

36. That no grant be released to Gatwick Recruitment and Training Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

37. That no grant be released to Ashdown Commercial Ltd as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

38. That no grant be released to Pangdean Barn as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

39. That no grant be released to Superfood Goddess Café as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

40. That no grant be released to Brighton Business Expo as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.

 

41. That no grant be released to Beauty by Rosanna as it did not meet the criteria of Covid-19 Recovery Grant Scheme.