New Sheffield landlady faces ruin after missing grant cut-off date

Jacqueline Hanson-Carr says she registered as the new operator of the The Rose House on South Road, Walkley, on March 9.

But it never traded before pubs were ordered to close on Friday March 20.

Now she says she could lose everything because the city council says she is ineligible for a £25,000 grant to help retail, hospitality and leisure businesses through the crisis.

Officials say she was not registered for business rates on March 11, a date set by the government to assess eligibility.

But Jackie insists she applied correctly and has since submitted her information four more times - only for it to go missing.

She said: “I don’t think we can survive much longer. The big difficulty is being recognised as the ratepayer. I’m utterly disgusted. Yes, I know it’s a difficult situation and I appreciate the council is very busy and doing its best.

"But for the city council to lose the information so many times I’m starting to think it’s deliberate and they haven’t had the money from the government yet. They’ve come up with every possible excuse.”

Jackie was due to run the longstanding pub with her two sons and daughter. She put £10,000 into the move including refurbishment a new bathroom, costs and legal fees. One son, Jan, had moved in and is living there.

And despite not being open it still has costs, including rent to Enterprise Inns, council tax, business rates, utilities and bins, she says.

She added: “The grant is not for me, it’s to keep a pub that’s been running for years open.”

In one message, a city council business rates arrears officer states: ‘You didn’t become responsible for the premises until after March 11 (you stated March 20 in your application) so you do not qualify for a grant under this scheme.’

In another message, an official states that Jackie doesn’t qualify for a grant because the property was being refurbished.

But government regulations state local authorities have discretion to make payments if there are errors on the rating list on March 11.

Jackie says this is designed to stop businesses in her situation falling through the net.

Coun Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield City Council, said the authority’s business advisers were doing “all they can” to help business owners navigate the process.

He added: “We understand that this can be a frustrating process for some and we are working as quickly as possible to distribute these grants to eligible businesses to ensure their cash flow is maintained.

“It’s also important to note that not all eligible businesses in Sheffield have applied so far, so I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be entitled to a grant to look into it.”

More information here.

Call Business Sheffield advisers on 0114 224 5000 or contact them via email at [email protected].

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