Grant applications will be for a fixed amount of no more than £5,000 and require match funding (with discretion as to the proportion of match funding resting with the council). There will be a two stage process, with an initial ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI)followed by a full application.
If an EOI is approved you will be requested to submit any further information required by the grant panel, and the required documents for your project.
Once your grant request is approved and documentation checked you will be required to sign a grant agreement.
Once we have your signed grant agreement, your may proceed with your project, purchase etc.
Once your project/purchase has been completed, your payments to your contractors/suppliers made, and your outputs/outcomes achieved you will then submit your grant claim. You should therefore have sufficient funds to complete the project in advance of the grant claim – which could be some months after.
Eligibility
To qualify for the grant, businesses must be a legal entity and:
- Be a Micro or Small Enterprise: fewer than 50 employees and a turnover of less than £15 million OR a balance sheet total of less than £7.5 million.
- Start-up or new businesses (trading for not less than 1 year) as well as established businesses which are seeking to innovate, grow and scale up.
- Operate from a postcode in Wyre.
- Not have received more than £315,000 in subsidies over the past 3 years.
- Be able to prove on a three year cashflow the impact, with and without grant, on their business finances.
- Have match funding to at least 50% of the sum requested.
- Have an email address registered with the council’s Wyred Up business network (free to join – Wyred Up – Invest in Wyre) or on the form below. If in doubt simply re-register and we will replace your old details. If you have not opened a Wyred Up newsletter for over 12 months you will need to re-register.
Support that can be funded:
- Investment in plant, equipment or machinery.
- Improvement or adaptation of business premises including energy efficiency/carbon reduction measures.
- Training, gaining accreditation or membership of a recognised body.
- Installation or upgrade of business broadband to a high-speed connection.
- Marketing the business including website and promotional costs.
Project Outcomes that are expected of the grant:
Projects must offer good value for money and applicants must achieve one of more of the following outcomes: new or improved products or services; increased business sustainability; jobs safeguarded; jobs created; increased profit; increased turnover and zero carbon energy infrastructure installed.
Grant Details
- 50% grant (up to a maximum of £5,000) of the eligible costs. The minimum grant is £2,000.
- Three quotes for costs of £2,500 and above with explanation of selected choice.
- Milestones must be achievable to create the outcomes agreed.
- A business can only submit one application per grant round.
- All limited companies will need to be registered with Companies House. All Sole Traders and Partnerships wil need to be registered for self assessment.with HMRC.
- Any grant must be spent and claimed within the period identified in the Grant Funding Agreement. Round 1 grants being by 28 February 2026 and Round 2 grants being by 28 February 2027.
- Applications will be prioritised in accordance with their scores and they will be assessed against each other.
- Applications will be scored mid November 2025 and March 2026.
- Grants will be conditional on securing appropriate permissions. Any offer of a grant does not imply that permissions will be granted.
- Applicants may be required to undergo a business diagnostic and/or undertake business support, in order to ensure that the business will be able to achieve the outcomes of the grant terms, and provision sustainability.
Exclusions
- Businesses using the funding to promote a particular religious, faith or political belief or activity.
- Retrospective funding.
- Businesses at risk – credit checks will be performed on applying businesses.
- Businesses in arrears on business rates.
- Businesses where a Food Safety Hygiene rating is deficient.
- Businesses in breach of planning control or with a history of breaches.
- Businesses in breach of any other council regulated activity.
- Non Wyre based businesses – a Wyre Postcode for an operational business is required.
Costs which are not eligible
General costs:
Any costs incurred before the project start date shown in the grant funding agreement
- Contingency costs
- The cost of getting any permissions or consents, such as planning permission
- Any items which you have already had public (including EU) funding for (or intend to get EU or other public funding for)
- Relocation costs – if the business needs to relocate in order to expand, it can only apply for funding for the cost of the expansion
- Costs associated with the provision of housing
- Retrospective costs.
- Costs that have already been allocated to building work/the project that may have started.
- Projects that are carried out only to meet a domestic legal requirement
Buildings, land and equipment costs
- Repairs and maintenance of existing buildings, equipment and machinery
- Improvement of the visual appearance of a shop front, commercial premises or building in a town centre.
- Like-for-like replacement of existing items (such as buildings, equipment and machinery)
- Machinery or equipment that will not be on the asset register of the business 5 years after payment of your last grant claim
- The cost of moveable fittings – like soft furnishings, beds, tables, chairs, cutlery, crockery, curtains, televisions and audio equipment, hand tools, small domestic kitchen equipment and utensils
- Purchase of land or buildings
Business running costs
- Salaries and running costs
- In-kind contributions such as labour, vehicle or office space
- Recurring licence fees, subscriptions and service charges
- Computers, software and printers used in the general running of the business
- Mobile phones
- Consumables
- Standard non-specialised domestic vehicles such as cars or motorbikes
Financial costs
- Bad debts
- Advance payments
- Insurance policy costs
- Working capital
- Financial charges such as bank charges, fines and interest
- Reclaimable VAT
Visit myWyre Account – Wyre Council click ‘Apply for it’ to start your Expression of Interest.
We cannot advise if your project will be eligible, you should make your EOI, but you are welcome to ask for EOI or other business support at regeneration@wyre.gov.uk
