Mobile and Home Based Close Contact Services Fund
The Scottish Government are providing a new fund for owners and operators of mobile and home-based close contact service businesses and for registered driving instructors.
The fund will give eligible applicants a one-off payment of £4,000. The deadline for applications is 16 March 2021 at 6pm.
To be eligible for this fund, you must own and operate a business that meets the definition of a Close Contact Service Provider in the Health Protection (COVID) regulations. We’ve included a list of relevant services below. You need to also have been operating your business primarily on a mobile basis or from home.
Each individual is only eligible for one grant, and you will not receive multiple payments if you provide more than one service.
Any eligible partnership businesses or limited companies are also only able to apply for one grant per business.
Eligibility Criteria
• You must be a Scottish resident, operating in Scotland with a Scottish trading address.
• More than 50% of your annual income must be derived from these ‘close contact’ services.
• You must have been actively trading prior to 17 March 2020.
• You are not eligible if you have received support already through any of the following schemes:
– Strategic Framework Business Fund,
– Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme,
– COVID-19 Restrictions Fund and Hardship Fund
– Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers
– Wedding Sector Support Fund
Physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic services are not eligible for this fund due to the fact that they are defined as health services and have not been subject to restrictions.
As with the Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund, the government is taking a hard line in relation to these applications. You have one chance to submit your application and there is no means of appeal. Ensure, before you start your application that you have the following to hand:
• Companies House registration number if you are a Limited Company.
• UTR (unique taxpayer reference number).
• National Insurance number.
• A photo or screenshot of either your business tax account (showing your name and UTR) or some form of HMRC communication showing these details.
• Your bank details for payment.
• A screenshot or .pdf of a bank statement that can evidence business transactions between 17 March 2019 and 17 March 2020 that you can upload to the application.
• Web links to your business website or social media sites.
Eligible Service Providers
(i) hairdressing and barber services
(ii) beauty and nail services (including make-up services)
(iii) hair removal services
(iv) tattoo, piercing and body modification services
(v) fashion design, dress-fitting and tailoring services
(vi) indoor portrait photography and art services
(vii) massage therapies
(viii) complementary and alternative medicine services requiring physical contact or close physical proximity between persons, but not osteopathy and chiropractic services
(ix) spa and wellness services
(x) other services or procedures which require physical contact or close physical proximity between a provider and a customer and are not ancillary to medical, health, or social care services.
Further information including a link to apply, can be found here on the Government website
