Agenda item

Caroline Duffy, Business Development Officer, introduced the report which presented thirty-four Covid-19 Recovery Grant applications for consideration by the Cabinet Grants Panel. She noted that twenty applications have been recommended for funding; four not recommended for funding due to their receipt of a recent microbusiness grant and ten not recommended for reasons including being located out of the Mid Sussex area, for retrospective activities or not meeting the Covid-19 specific criteria. She noted that the application from the Sussex Chamber of Commerce has been amended from £5,000 to £4,000 as an intended project they were seeking funding for has been withdrawn. Also, that the grant award for Tamarind has been amended following the identification of retrospective equipment purchases which are not permitted funding in the scheme.

 

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
The Maypole Inn / Mark Pinch	Improvements to the outside area, with an outdoor structure to create more customer space	£4,928.00	£4,928.00
MNH Sustainable Cabin Services Ltd / Emma Rance	Purchase specialist equipment to ensure hygiene of onboard products and upgrade to finance IT system to allow remote working	£5,820.00	£5,000.00
Elizabeth Ockford Ltd / Elizabeth Ockford	Wallpaper pattern books to send to new agents and distributors	£3,817.00	£3,817.00
Mark Parsons T/A Frontline Automation / Jayne Clowes	Move reporting and job sheets online, negating the need for contact paperwork; laptop, licenses and software	£1,199.00	£1,199.00
Artemis Telecoms Ltd / T/A Start Communications / John Davis	4 Laptops to enable team to work remotely more efficiently, when supporting customers during lockdown(s)	£3,100.00	£3,100.00
Albourne Winery Ltd / Nick Cooper	One outdoor mini tepee and 10 picnic tables to make better use of external space to host visitors outdoors	£4,441.00	£4,441.00
SENse Learning / Sophie Amos	Upgrade to website to be more interactive and improve accessibility for families, students and referral streams	£2,335.00	£2,335.00
Tamarind / Anita Hayman-Lewis	Purchase specialist equipment and updates to the eCommerce website	£2,697.00	£1,805.90*
Mid-Sussex Super Cream / Ashok Kumar	New tills to handle cashless payments. Social distancing and Covid-19 protection measures on all units	£10,290.00	£5,000.00
Not Another Bunch Of Flowers / Anikka Burton	Improvements to warehouse to create a usable, Covid-safe office to increase working space	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Veterinary Insights Ltd / Alexander Arpino	Purchase a laptop to be used by the team when working from home	£993.00	£993.00
Worth Glamping Ltd / Susie Whittingham	New website to improve promotion and enable online payments. Marketing and advertising to support diversification to broaden reach	£4,784.00	£4,784.00
DT Electrical Supplies (HH) Ltd / David Thomas	Continued purchases relating to Covid-19 measures to ensure safety of staff and trades people when entering the premises	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Sussex Tuition Centre / Sarah Lawrance	Website rebuild, tech support (1 year), local advertising and leaflet drop (6 months)	£8,925.00	£5,000.00
Ultimate Warrior Training / Nicola Gilson	To open up with more capacity in a safer training environment removing a wall to increase the capacity of the gym	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Community Inspired Ltd / Richard Manville	Development of existing PTA.co.uk website and development of new website www.fundraisingalliance.co.uk plus marketing to attract local businesses	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
The Talbot / Dean Harding	Handheld tablets for staff for use with EPOS system, further investment in the outdoor area (heating, lights etc.)	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Lost Pier Brewing Ltd / Daniel Gale	Purchase and fit racking to store the cans now produced (diversification from kegs)	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
Sussex Chamber of Commerce / Ana Christie	New business services / projects; includes careers fairs, business festival or conference	£8,000.00	£5,000.00
Kitchens Bespoke / Sarah Loxton	Diversifying to add new product range, creating a new online shop and associated display equipment in the showroom	£5,000.00	£5,000.00
TOTAL		£96,329.00	£82,402.90

 

The Chairman found the pie chart a very useful indicator for the spread of applications across the District and reminded colleagues that the grants are funded using Mid Sussex District Council’s own money.

 

The Vice-Chairman was impressed with the quality of the work and the effort of officers engaging with the businesses. He thought the work was outstanding and expressed that he was grateful to all concerned for the work they have done.

 

The Chairman seconded the Vice-Chairman’s comments as he thought officers had worked exceedingly hard, some seven days a week for months and months to process the grants; he hoped that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

 

The Member endorsed the comments of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman. He stated that he hadn’t appreciated that if a business was in receipt of a microbusiness grant it precluded the application of a business grant. He enquired whether the business was made aware upfront that this would occur, if they were applying for both grants.

 

The Business Development Officer confirmed that businesses weren’t specifically precluded from one scheme if they had applied for another. The maximum amount of funds was almost reached, and officers had to make difficult decisions as to where the monies could be allocated. She added that the second round of funding didn’t open until 15 December and some businesses had, at that time, already applied for a microbusiness grant, which closed on 30 November. She also added that some applications under different schemes were for the same project and in that situation both applications wouldn’t be granted.

 

The Chairman took the Panel to vote on all applications except the applications from Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Community Inspired Ltd and The Koorana Centre.

 

Members were supportive of the applications and recommendations.

 

[The Vice-Chairman was removed from the voting and discussion at 16:25]

 

The Chairman took the Panel to vote on the applications from Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Community Inspired Ltd and The Koorana Centre.

 

Members were supportive of the applications and recommendations.

 

[The Vice-Chairman returned to the meeting at 16:27]

 

 

RESOLVED

 

The Cabinet Grants Panel agreed:

 

1. That £4,928.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Maypole Inn to fund improvements to the outside area, with an outdoor structure to create more customer space.

 

2. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to MNH Sustainable Cabin Services Ltd to fund the purchase of specialist equipment to ensure hygiene of onboard products and upgrade to finance IT system to allow remote working.

 

3. That £3,817.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Elizabeth Ockford Ltd to fund new marketing and wallpaper pattern books to send to new agents and distributors.

 

4. That £1,199.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Mark Parsons T/A Frontline Automation to fund the move of reporting and job sheets online, negating the need for contact paperwork; laptop, licenses and software.

 

5. That £3,100.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Artemis Telecoms Ltd / T/A Start Communications to fund the purchase of 4 Laptops to enable team to work remotely more efficiently, when supporting customers during lockdown(s).

 

6. That £4,441.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released Albourne Winery Ltd to fund one outdoor mini tepee and 10 picnic tables to make better use of external space to host visitors outdoors.

 

7. That £2,335.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to SENse Learning to fund Upgrade to website to be more interactive and improve accessibility for families, students and referral streams.

 

8. That £1,805.90 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Tamarind to fund updates to the eCommerce website.

 

9. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Mid-Sussex Super Cream to fund new tills to handle cashless payments. Social distancing and Covid-19 protection measures on all units.

 

10. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Not Another Bunch Of Flowers to fund improvements to warehouse to create a usable, Covid-safe office to increase working space.

 

11. That £993.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Veterinary Insights Ltd to fund the purchase of a laptop to be used by the team when working from home.

 

12. That £4,784.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Worth Glamping Ltd to fund a new website to improve promotion and enable online payments, marketing and advertising to support diversification to broaden reach.

 

13. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to DT Electrical Supplies (HH) Ltd to fund continued purchases relating to Covid-19 measures to ensure safety of staff and trades people when entering the premises.

 

14. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Sussex Tuition Centre to fund a website rebuild, tech support (1 year), local advertising and leaflet drop (6 months).

 

15. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Ultimate Warrior Training to fund a greater capacity and safer training environment by removing a wall of the gym.

 

16. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Community Inspired Ltd to fund the development of the existing PTA.co.uk website and development of new website fundraisingalliance.co.uk as well as marketing to attract local businesses.

 

17. That £5,000 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to The Talbot to fund handheld tablets for staff for use with EPOS system, further investment in the outdoor area (heating, lights etc.).

 

18. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Lost Pier Brewing Ltd to fund the purchase and fit racking to store the cans now produced (diversification from kegs).

 

19. That £4,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Sussex Chamber of Commerce to fund new business services and projects; careers fairs, business festival or conference.

 

20. That £5,000.00 from the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund be released to Kitchens Bespoke to fund diversifying to add new product range, creating a new online shop and associated display equipment in the showroom.

 

21. That no grant be released to Solea Beauty as the application scored below the minimum requirement under the Assessment Matrix.

 

22. That no grant be released to RBX GOLF LTD as the application scored below the minimum requirement under the Assessment Matrix.

 

23. That no grant be released to SPA3 Limited as the application scored below the minimum requirement under the Assessment Matrix.

 

24. That no grant be released to Couture & Tiaras Bridal as the business has recently been awarded funding from the 2020/2021 Micro Business Grant Scheme.

 

25. That no grant be released to Atty & Smart Ltd as the business is located outside the District.

 

26. That no grant be released to Cooke & Charman Ltd as the application related to costs which are not eligible under the criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.

 

27. That no grant be released to Marching On Media Ltd as the application does not meet criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.

 

28. That no grant be released to David Physio & Sports Clinic Limited as the application related to costs which are not eligible under the criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.

 

29. That no grant be released to The Koorana Centre as the business has recently been awarded funding from the 2020/2021 Micro Business Grant Scheme.

 

30. That no grant be released to My Sherpa Ltd as the business has recently been awarded funding from the 2020/2021 Micro Business Grant Scheme.

 

31. That no grant be released to Sussex Uniforms as the application related to retrospective purchases not eligible for funding under the criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.

 

32. That no grant be released to Nuevo Staffing as the business has recently been awarded funding from the 2020/2021 Micro Business Grant Scheme.

 

33. That no grant be released to My Enhance t/as Enhance Aesthetics and Beauty as the application related to costs which are not eligible under the criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.

 

34. That no grant be released to Beacon House Psychological Services Ltd as the application related to retrospective purchases not eligible for funding under the criteria of the Mid Sussex Covid 19 Recovery Grant Fund.