Over 60 Local Authorities Refuse the Additional Restrictions Grant for Beauty Businesses
Despite reassurance from HM Treasury that businesses in the hair & beauty sector, including hair salons, beauty salons, barbershops, aestheticians, nail bars, eyebrow bars etc are all eligible for the ARG, reports have arisen that local authorities are either rejecting or not prioritising claims from these businesses. From the reports it has been made clear that over 60 local authorities are excluding hair & beauty businesses from claiming the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).
A number of local authorities are also still working out their grant policies since the announcement in December and have yet to make grants available to businesses desperate for support.
In the past the government has stated that the hair and beauty sector is ‘essential’ to the UK’s health and wellbeing whilst contributing almost £30 billion to the UK economy every year and employing 590,500 workers, mostly women and young people, across the UK nations and regions. Pre-Covid, the sector was in the top three fastest growing parts of the retail sector.
The British Beauty Council’s CEO Millie Kendall OBE says, “Having made a strong case to all local authorities as to how personal care has been impacted more heavily than many other business sectors, we would have hoped to see some movement with regards to the release of the ARG funds to salons etc. The Chancellor himself stated that our industry was not just economically valuable but also essential to Britain’s wellbeing. Whilst our previous work ensured personal care businesses were highlighted within guidance as businesses that should be considered for support, local authorities have chosen to disregard this. They clearly do not regard our industry as essential, or the local businesses that operate within them as worthy of support and we would like to know why?”
List of Authorities excluding hair & beauty from claiming the ARG:
Amber Valley Borough Council
Ashford Borough Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Bedford Borough Council
Braintree District Council
Breckland Council
Buckinghamshire Council
Burnley Borough Council
Camden Council
Cannock Chase District Council
Carlisle City Council
Chelmsford City Council
Cheltenham Borough Council
Cornwall Council
Darlington Borough Council
Derbyshire Council, North East
Mid Devon District Council
Doncaster Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
East Lindsey District Council
East Northamptonshire Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Erewash Borough Council
Fareham Borough Council
Folkestone and Hythe Council
Gateshead Council (Metropolitan Borough of)
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Harrogate Borough Council
Harlow Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
London Borough of Havering
Luton Borough Council
Hillingdon Council
Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council
Kirklees Council
Lambeth Council
Leicester City Council
Lichfield District Council
Lincoln City Council
Mansfield District Council
Harborough District Council
Milton Keynes Council
Newark & Sherwood District Council
North Norfolk District Council
West Northamptonshire Council
Northumberland County Council
North Worcestershire
Portsmouth City Council
Preston City Council
Plymouth City Council
Richmond Borough Council
Rochdale Borough Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Salford City Council
Sandwell Council
Sevenoaks District Council
Sheffield City Council
Shropshire Council
Solihull Council
Stevenage Borough Council
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Stoke on Trent City Council
East Suffolk Council
Sunderland City Council
Swindon Borough Council
Torbay Council
Thanet District Council
Walsall Council
Westminster City Council
Wandsworth Council
Wiltshire Council
Wolverhampton Council