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