NewBiz

Hi. Straightforward applications where it's clear that the applicant is the ratepayer and the bank account details provided clearly are for the applicant/ratepayer, are being processed in 10-12 working days. Applications where more information is required re the above, or there is missing info/ questions over dates/timing of leases /trading status/legal entity etc there will be a delay as rates dept chase additional info. This is to comply with the very clear guidelines laid down by central government. If you want to call 0114 224 5000 between 9 and 5pm tomorrow we will take all your details, and raise your application as an outstanding anomaly. Kind regards

It always amazes me how Dam Flask is such a magnet these days. It used to be lovely until about 10 yrs ago, so quiet but lately pre corona it's like Piccadilly Circus. There are endless miles of paths and quiet country lanes to go at in the area, and around Sheffield, yet people don't seem to have the imagination to go beyond the very obvious. I don't walk it these days, as it's so crowded it's horrible, but each to their own I suppose

PM me your details, so business name, address inc postcode, contact number etc and i'll chase and come back to you

As I've explained to Eurocoms YOU CAN APPLY FOR THE GRANT even if you don't have a business rates account number. Before you do PLEASE RING our helpline 0114 224 5000 and we'll talk you through what to do.

You're welcome, have a good weekend!

Hi I've tried calling but it says number not valid?

Not having your business rates account number doesn't stop you from applying, although it does slow the process up. PM me a contact number and I'll call you tomorrow and explain what you need to do. Regards

Thank you Makapaka,. Really pleased your grant is on its way, and very much appreciate your positive comments

You're welcome, glad we could help.

Please don't reapply, that will put a real spanner in the works. The phone has been pretty manic this morning, please either try again, or you can pm me your number and the postcode of the business and I'll check our latest spreadsheet. Thanks

Thanks royalowl, appreciate it It will just appear. At some point in the future you will receive written confirmation, but that won't be immediate.

For applications that are complete, everything marries up etc it's taking circa 10 days from application to payment. HOWEVER it then takes typically 3-5 days from SCC paying it to it hitting your account, and we've just had 2 days of bank holiday which could slow things down further (not from our end, our rates dept has worked all over the bank holiday weekend) Hope this helps

Makapa If your application had all the relevant info, most particularly the business rates acc no, then I would have expected it to have bee processed and paid by now, so before you do anything, please check your account tomorrow. If it's not there and you are sure you supplied all the key information, then you can call our helpline, and we may be able to shed some light on where it's at. If there was important info missing, which you now can supply, then please ring our helpline and we will add it to your application. PLEASE NOTE, applicants whose forms had key info missing will be contacted as soon as possible by the business rates team. They have redeployed extra staff and are working as fast as they can (including this bank holiday weekend) to get to everybody, but ringing the helpline in this situation will not speed things up, and given the sheer volume of calls we're getting, could actually slow things down. Many thanks

Just need to correct the above. There are also grants of £10k and £25k for businesses in the retail, hospitality and retail sectors that have business premises with a rateable value of less than £51,000

My understanding is that bread isn't good for wild birds. It fills them up but has little nutritional value, so particularly in cold weather can be lethal, as they feel full, but don't have enough calories on board. Bear in mind animals as small as birds have high metabolic rates, burn through calories fast, and have little ability to keep warm without an adequate high calorie food supply (the bigger the body mass the longer it takes for core temperature to drop, and vice versa if you only weigh a few grams) I was always given to understand that if you want to feed bread you should soak it in oil, to increase the calorific value. Better still feed high calorie things like fat balls, suet pellets, peanuts, seeds etc. Hope this helps

A quick update: SCC have now processed and paid nearly 1500 applications, totalling over £18,500,000. The team doing the processing, including those contacting applicants whose forms had missing/erroneous information etc, is being expanded further. The rates dept are also working, processing applications all over the bank holiday weekend, although the helpline will be closed from 5pm today until 9am Tuesday.

Thanks to everyone for your positive feedback, it's very much appreciated. A quick update: SCC have now processed and paid nearly 1500 applications, totalling over £18,500,000. The team doing the processing, including those contacting applicants whose forms had missing/erroneous information etc, is being expanded further. The rates dept are also working, processing applications all over the bank holiday weekend, although the helpline will be closed from 5pm today until 9am Tuesday.

Oh thank you Groose, that means a lot. It's not easy for anyone at the moment I know. Working from home, being redeployed, struggling at times with IT that was never designed for so many people working remotely etc, but we're really trying hard, pulling together and I think we're getting there.

Hi Peter. For applications that are complete with all relevant info, then it's taking about a week to process and pay (and that's speeding up I understand), but then it takes typically 3-5 days from it being paid to it hitting your bank. If there's vital info missing, or stuff doesn't marry up etc then those applications will be followed up by email or phone to get the missing/erroneous info sorted. Anyone who had missing/wrong info etc and now has the new/right info can call 0114 224 5000 and we'll pass it on to the rates dept. If we don't answer, that's because we're all on calls, so please bear with us and try again.

Oh that's great Spuddly thanks for the feedback, glad you're pleased with the service, we really are trying our very best. Quick update, as of close of play yesterday processed and paid over 1200 applications, equating to over £14,000000

I'm posting on behalf of SCC. There are grants of £10,000 & £25,000 available for many businesses in Sheffield. To check eligibility and apply, please go to www.sheffield.gov.uk/coronavirus-business If you want advice on either eligibility or what information to include in your application etc then please call 0114 224 5000 BEFORE YOU SUBMIT it and we'll do all we can to help. We also have a team of experienced business advisors who can advise you on business continuity etc during these unprecedented times. To book a telephone appointment with an advisor, again please call 0114 224 5000

PLEASE DON'T RING if you're chasing payment as we are processing the applications as fast as we can, so calling won't speed things up. We have now processed and paid over 1,000 applications totalling circa £11,000,000. Please note, it takes between 3-5 days for payment to hit your bank once we've sent it, so please keep checking your bank account. We are currently working on last Tuesday's applications, however a fair proportion of all the applications require follow-up as they have information missing etc. Where this is the case the rates dept will be in touch as soon as they can. If you want to speak to someone to check your eligibility, or for any queries about your application BEFORE YOU SUBMIT IT please ring 0114 224 5000, and we will help you all we can. We also have a team of experienced business advisors who can help you work around cashflow issues etc

The government is providing grants for many small businesses to help them survive the corona virus crisis, and in Sheffield they are being administered by Sheffield City Council. These are for £10,000 and £25,000 and are grants i.e you don't have to pay them back. To date we've had around 4,000 applications, but there are some 5-6,000 more businesses who we think are eligible, so please read this link if you want to find out if you're entitled to one of these grants, or want to apply www.sheffield.gov.uk/coronavirus-business or tel 0114 224 5000 and we'll help you all we can.

I'm not sure how helpful that will be as from what I have seen different councils are using different methods. For Sheffield businesses go to www.sheffield.gov.uk/coronavirus-business or ring 0114 224 5000 if you have any questions about entitlement/missing info asked for on the form etc. We also have a team of business advisers on the above number who can give advice/guidance on what else is available/business continuity etc

Posting on behalf of Business Sheffield (part of SCC) If you'd like information on the £10k and £25k grants available for many businesses in Sheffield, being paid because of the Coronavirus crisis please call 0114 224 5000 and we'll do everything we can to help.