Street cafe furnishings grant

The grant can only be spent on physical goods, which enable a business to trade outside for table service food. This could include seating, tables, heaters (in line with the guidance) and barriers. All goods must meet appropriate safety regulations. You will be responsible for the upkeep and safety of all these goods.

All purchases should ideally be sourced locally and not from websites such as eBay or Amazon. One quote is required for all goods being purchased.

All goods will need to comply with the Street café policy and guidance (PDF). In addition, these need to be considered in relation to the look and feel of the local area and being environmentally friendly. For example, barrier requests for standard Coca Cola signage will not be approved.  In respect of heaters, and in order to reduce our carbon efficiency, gas heaters will not be permitted but other heaters such as Infrared (IR) electric heaters will be allowable.  These tend to use a lot less energy than standard gas patio heaters and are cheaper to run, they also heat the surface they are facing directly instead of the surrounding air.

We want to make this process as simple as possible, so that decisions can be made quickly and funding transferred to businesses without delay. 

Following your application, you will receive an e-mail confirming that we have received your application. All applications are checked for completeness and eligibility against the guidelines. 

If your application is incomplete or ineligible, we will send you an e-mail outlining the reason(s). We regret that we are unable to progress incomplete or ineligible applications.

Your application will be reviewed and assessed by the Evaluation Panel made up of key stakeholders. All applications will have a due diligence checks as part of the application assessment process to ensure compliance, this will include aspects such as food rating.

We expect a high demand for this fund and regrettably will only be able to support a proportion of the applications we receive.

Retention of application materials

In order to comply with our audit processes, we will retain copies of the application form and supporting materials for declined applications up until 31 March 2021, and for successful applications for a further 10 years after which time they will be destroyed. Original materials will only be returned to you if a stamped self-addressed envelope is enclosed with them.

If your application is successful, we will send you a standard funding agreement, together with any specific conditions relating to your award. Once signed, payment will be released to your business bank account for the grant approved. After you have purchased the goods you will be required to submit copies of the evidenced expenditure.

Evaluation/publicity

Businesses who are successful in the grant process may be asked to participate in an evaluation process by us or in promotional material for the project, therefore by accepting the grant you must be willing and able to take part in this process to help us understand the impact and legacy of the fund.

Once you have signed the funding agreement, you will then be able to purchase the goods agreed as part of the funding agreement. Any purchases prior to acceptance of the funding agreement will be at your own risk. 

Following purchase of the goods and being located in the agreed café seating area according to the street café license, you will be required to submit a claim to enterprisingleicester@leicester.gov.uk for the goods purchased in line with the funding agreement.

We will need to see proof of purchase via your bank account. If appropriate receipts are not provided or we do not feel that appropriate evidence can be provided, then you will be required to repay the grant in full. Cash transactions with a receipt will not be accepted as proof of payment.

The fund allows you to buy furniture, such as tables, chairs, heaters, barriers, planters, that will allow you to trade in the space outside of your premises in line with the permissions in your street café licence. It has to be suitable for safe outside use and comply with the guidance.

We expect businesses to ensure a high quality of design and finish to fit in with the aesthetic of your establishment and the surrounding area.

We also strongly urge businesses to consider environmental aspects of their outdoor space and ensure its design and furniture add to the look and feel of the city.

No resubmission will be allowed applications will be assessed based on receipt of their application at the time and supporting documentation.

This is a no appeals process.

The space you can use outside your premises will be determined by the licensing section and will be set out in your street café licence - please take the space available to you into consideration when you apply for a grant.

You will need to comply with the government guidance for restaurants and bars as required, but social distancing must be observed outside your premises in the same way it is inside.

You must take this into consideration when planning your space for the amount of furniture you will need. Individual businesses will be responsible for ensuring the furniture they buy complies with the relevant guidelines at that time.

Yes. The grant is non-returnable and when you have purchased the furniture it is yours to keep, secure, clean and maintain. Overnight storing or security of the furniture will also be your responsibility.

Yes. The furniture belongs to you and if it breaks you must fix or remove it.