In addition to the recently announced Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant, the Council has now announced details of its discretionary Omicron grant scheme.

This grant scheme is for Bedford Borough hospitality and leisure businesses that did not receive funding under the main Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant scheme, which are in the following sectors:

- Hospitality and Leisure including cafes, bars, pubs, hairdressers, bingo halls and others

- Indoor facilities including businesses that normally provide group activities such as arts workshops, gyms, dance studios, escape rooms and others

- Travel agents, tour operators and bridal shops

This funding is provided by the Government, with the amount of grant determined by the number of applications. It is anticipated to be around £650 per business.

Cllr Michael Headley, Portfolio Holder for Finance said “This discretionary grant enables us to try and fill the gaps and provide support to hospitality and leisure businesses that do not receive funding under the main Omicron grant. We know these have been really difficult times for local businesses and we want to provide this much-needed funding to as many eligible local businesses as we can. “Please visit www.bedford.gov.uk/bsg and apply by Friday 11 March 2022.”