Department for Economy, Science & Transport
Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme
Application Form

Please read the accompanying guidance notes in Annex 1 when completing this form. You
should complete all sections which are applicable otherwise your application will be rejected
and returned unless the required information is in a supporting document, in which case
please refer to the relevant paragraph / section of a document where this information can be
found.

The Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme (EZBRS) is a discretionary grant scheme for
SMEs paying business rates in a Welsh Enterprise Zone. The scheme will work to lower the
operating costs to businesses by providing a grant for up to 1 year to offset their Business
rates. Completing this form does not guarantee all or any of the grant you apply for. The
closing date is 9am on Wednesday, 30th September 2015

Applications are invited from SME businesses that are demonstrating growth characteristics.
Priority will be given to award assistance to those businesses that are forecasting continued
job creation over the period of the Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme.

You will need to demonstrate that you have paid business rates on a property located within
a designated Enterprise Zone in Wales in order to claim the grant. This will need to be
done by no later than 31st March of each financial year that you are claiming for. You may be
asked to clarify the information provided in the application.
1: APPLICANT DETAILS
1.1 Applicant’s business name and address (this should be your Registered Address)
Name of business
Address
Postcode
Tel no
E-mail
Website
VAT Number (if
applicable)
1.2 Company registration number
(if UK registered)
1.3 SIC Code number and Code
description
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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1.4 Contact name in the business for managing this application
Name
Position
Tel no
E-mail
1.5 Please confirm that the applicant business is an SME.
If yes, please refer to Annex 1 – “Guidance Notes for Applicants”
for “SME” definition.
Yes
No
1.6 Please indicate in which capacity you are applying.
First Priority:-
Jobs Growth
Second Priority:-
Sector
New-Start
Increased Productivity
Innovation
1.7 If New Start, please provide start up type and date of commencing operations
Type
Date of Commencing Operations
1.8 Outline the main activities of the business.
If already established, please also give a brief history of the business.
1.9 Outline the plans / strategy for the business’s development and growth and how this
will be achieved. Please attach a business plan, (if you have a copy).
1.10 Please provide evidence to demonstrate that the business serves more than the local
market; ensuring that support does not displace or reduce existing jobs within the local
area. This may include for example, a geographical analysis of major customer base and
% turnover generated by that customer base.
Please refer to Annex 1 – “Guidance Notes for Applicants” for “local market” definition.
1.11 Please provide evidence to demonstrate that the business is not in a sector of the UK
market which is already fully served. Please refer to Annex 1 – “Guidance Notes for
Applicants” for “sector already fully served” definition.
2: PROPERTY FOR WHICH YOU ARE APPLYING
2.1 Property location (if different from 1.1)
Please complete a separate application form for each rating liability that you are seeking grant
assistance for.
Address
Postcode
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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2.2 In which Enterprise Zone is the property located?
2.3 Property description (use Valuation Office common description as on rates bill e.g.
Offices and Premises)
2.4 Date of Occupation
2.5 What amount of space is occupied at the property (in sq m)?
sq m
2.6 What is the applicant’s tenure of the property? (mark one)
Freehold
Leasehold
If leasehold, please state how many years remain on the lease and details of any break clauses,
if before March 2017.
3: JOBS
3.1 Please provide the number of people currently employed at the property including
anticipated future numbers to be employed. This should be expressed as full-time
equivalent posts, ie “1” post and part-time staff expressed as “0.5” post. If any of the new
jobs are seasonal, please identify them and indicate below how many weeks per year
these roles will be occupied.
Current number of employees
(at the point of the
application)
‘A’
New Jobs to be created in
FY2015/16
3.2 Please provide an analysis of the NEW jobs to be created in the property.
This information needs to cover those jobs in Columns ‘A’ of Item 3.1.
Job Title and Standard
Basic annual
Number of
Number of
Month / year
Occupational
salary (£)
NEW
NEW
to be
Classification (SOC)
(to nearest
full-time
part-time
created
please refer to guidance
£1,000)
jobs
jobs
note & select appropriate
Classification number
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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As outlined in Annex 1 – “Guidance notes for applications” (item 3.1), please do not include selfemployed, sub-contracted or temporary personnel within this analysis. However, if any of the new
jobs in item 3.2 are seasonal, please identify them and indicate below how many weeks per year
these roles will be occupied.
3.3 Has there been any reduction in headcount within the
business since April 2014?
Yes
No
If Yes, please give the average number of FTE posts since April 2014 and an explanation for the
decrease.
4: RATES LIABILITY
4.1 Billing Authority Reference Number
4.2 Rateable Value of Property (in £s)
4.3 When did your rating liability commence if liability is only for part of the year?
4.4 Rates payable during this financial year (in £s)
4.5 How much grant are you applying for in FY2015/16? (Maximum grant is limited to your
rating liability or £55,000 per annum, whichever is the lowest)
4.6 Do you expect your rating liability to change before
March 2016?
Yes
No
4.7 Has your business received all the Small Business Rates Yes
Relief that it is entitled to?
Please note you can only receive Enterprise Zone Business Rates
Support for the remaining rates liability after your full entitlement to
Small Business Rates Relief is taken into consideration.
No
If Yes, please provide details and the reason for this expectation.
If No, please note that your amount of EZBRS grant awarded will take into account any Small
Business Rates Relief that you should have received.
4.8 Please confirm if your business or parent company that
have received any De Minimis Support from any public
source in the last 3 financial years?
Yes
No
If Yes, please provide name of Scheme/Date of Award/Total amount received.
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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5: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
For all applications, the following information is required: Copies of your last 2 year’s statutory financial accounts as well as those of your parent
company, if relevant.
For all applications, seeking grant of more than £10,000 per annum, the following additional
information is required: A monthly business cash flow forecast for the next two financial years, making sure that
accounting periods coincide with your financial year.
 Management accounts to cover the period from your statutory financial accounts to the
present day.
In addition to the above, New-Starts will be expected to provide a date of issue of first invoice
with supporting evidence, such as a bank statement showing the first transaction and also the
date of birth and home address for all Directors/Partners.
6: CHECKLIST
The following information is enclosed, (please refer to guidance notes)
Please tick
to confirm
Last 2 year’s statutory financial accounts
Monthly business cash flow forecast (as appropriate)
Management accounts (as appropriate)
Copy of Rates Bill to confirm rating liability
If New-Start, external confirmation of start date of commencing operations
7: DECLARATION AND UNDERSTANDING
Q1 Have you or any of your associates ever been disqualified from being a
Yes
company director under the Company Directors Disqualification Act (1986) or ever
been the proprietor, partner or director of a business that has been subject to an
investigation (completed, current or pending) undertaken under the Companies,
Financial Services or Banking Acts?
No
Q2 Has any director/partner ever been bankrupt or subject to an arrangement
with creditors or ever been the proprietor, partner or director of a business subject
to any formal insolvency procedure such as a receivership, liquidation, or
administration, or subject to an arrangement with its creditors?
Yes
No
Q3 Has any director/partner ever been the proprietor, partner or director of a
business that has been requested to repay a grant under any government
scheme?
Yes
No
Please note - answering yes to the above does not necessarily
affect your chances of receiving support.
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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I understand that information supplied here and in the accompanying paperwork may be shared
in confidence with other public funding organisations, external technical advisors and Finance
Wales.
I understand that in order to appraise this application and the credit worthiness of the applicant
business this will include the Welsh Government undertaking a credit check on the business and
every director/partner/sole proprietor involved in the management of the business.
In this
respect, I authorise individual credit checks to be undertaken and confirm that I have read the
Data Protection Declaration Document (Annex 2) so that I am aware of how requests for
information from the public to the Welsh Government are dealt with which could result in this
personal information having to be released.
I understand that if I give information that is incorrect or incomplete, support may be withheld or
reclaimed and action taken against me. I understand that the Welsh Government is likely to seek
prosecution in cases of fraud or attempted fraud.
I understand that Grant is not available to assist businesses that are experiencing financial
difficulties with cash flow and/or balance sheet problems.
I declare that the business is an SME and has not received any other De Minimis state aid
support in the last three years unless detailed in supporting documentation.
I declare that the information I have given here and in the accompanying paperwork is correct and
complete.
I understand that any award of grant may be publicised by means of a press release giving brief
details of the project and the amount of support offered.
Signed
Date
Name (block capitals)
Position in organisation
Applications must be signed by an authorised signatory, a Director (in the case of a
company), or by the proprietor or a partner.
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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Your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998
The Data Protection Act 1998 gives individuals certain rights in respect of personal
information held on them by any organisation. These include:

The right to ask the Welsh Government to provide you with access to and a copy of
personal data held about you.
The right, in certain circumstances, to ask the Welsh Government to stop processing
personal data about you.
Completed Application forms including supporting information should be sent to


The right to ask the Information Commissioner to carry out an assessment of the way in
ezbrs@wales.gsi.gov.uk
which the Welsh Government has processed personal data about you.
Individuals who wish to exercise any of these rights should contact the National Assembly
for Wales’ Data Protection Officer (029 2082 3999).
Seeking further information on Data Protection:
For further information about the personal data collected and its use, or if you have
concerns about the accuracy of the personal data, or wish to exercise your rights under the
Data Protection Act 1998, you should contact;

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection officer at, The National Assembly for Wales,
Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ;

the Information Commissioner’s office help line can be contacted on 01625 545 745;
information is also available from http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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ANNEX 1 - GUIDANCE NOTES FOR APPLICANTS
The following notes provide an explanation of selected aspects of the application form that may
need clarification. Please contact us if you need further guidance.
1.3 SIC Code description
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/sic/sic2007.shtml
1.5 SME definition: see web link http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figuresanalysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm
fewer than 250 full-time
equivalent employees
and either
an annual turnover of no more than
Euro 50 million (about £41 million)
a balance sheet total of no more than
Euro 43 million (about £36 million)
In addition,
 the business must be no more than 25% owned by one or more owners that are not
classed as SMEs (public investment corporations and venture capital companies are
exempt from the 25% threshold as are institutional investors provided they exercise no
control over the SME);
 if your business owns more than 25% of other businesses we will also need to take this
into account in assessing your SME status;
 if a non-SME exercises control of your business by legal or contractual rights, this may
affect your SME status;
 if a non-SME’s ownership of your business (or your ownership of a non-SME) is between
25% and 50%, your business may in some cases still qualify as an SME;
 if you have only recently exceeded the employment, turnover or balance sheet total
thresholds, you could still qualify.
1.6 Capacity of Applicant
First Priority:Jobs Growth - New jobs are those that are created within the designated time period and
which will remain in place at least for the remainder of the funding years. This will require a net
increase in full time equivalent (FTE) employment at the establishment for which the EZBRS is
sought, compared to the average for the previous twelve months.
1.7 New-Start type and date of commencing operations:
An enterprise is considered to have been created when it issues its first invoice. Bank
statements may be used to verify this date. An enterprise will be considered to be a new start in
the following circumstances:
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Start up type
Self employment (lifestyle businesses) no employees and turnover <£80k pa
Business start up (growth businesses) employ staff and t/o >£80k pa
High Potential Start (high growth
businesses) – employ 10 staff and export
Considered to be a “New Start”
post trading commencement for:
Up to 12 months post start
Up to 24 months post start
Up to 36 months post start
Second Priority:Sector:Direct engagement in business activity either within the key sectors relevant to the Enterprise
Zone within which the business is located or having relevant supply-chain links with businesses
within those key sectors.
Increased productivity:This should be underpinned by investment in buildings, plant and/or machinery and evidenced
in financial documents provided.
Innovation:Ongoing engagement in commercialisation / innovation / or R&D activity. Applicants must
demonstrate that they are investing in research and development of new, innovative ideas,
products, processes and services with good commercial potential. Accordingly a business
investing in such innovation through the various stages of development from early stage
feasibility through to commercialisation will be considered for support.
Please describe in accompanying documents the research, development, innovation and
commercialisation activities undertaken by your company including the actual or desired
business outcomes. Please state when such activities commenced and any milestone dates
achieved or forecast.
1.9 Plans / strategy for the business’ development and growth. This should cover short
(up to 12 months) and longer (12 to 36 months) plans for business development and growth and
how this will be achieved.
If you wish to include a Business Plan, it should include:
A business description including historical performance, facilities, management and staff;
existing product(s) and/or service(s); the manufacturing process; market; competitor analysis;
description of the project including the key people
 an outline of future business opportunity
 each of the key assumptions which underpin the employment forecasts and with an
assessment of the risks associated with these assumptions
1.10 Local Market business – Not a business that serves only the local market as this could
distort competition and merely displace or reduce existing jobs / sales of other businesses.
Companies who primarily serve a niche market within the local area may still be eligible for
support. This includes Computer Dealers; Leisure and Sports Clubs; Motor Vehicle sale,
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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service and hire; Nurseries, crèches, playgroups; Restaurants; Retail services e.g. hairdressers,
laundries, taxis; Retail Shops; Retirement and nursing homes; Wholesalers and distributors.
This list is not comprehensive. The information provided may include an analysis of your major
customer base and % of business attributable to that customer base. The onus for
demonstrating, in the information provided with this application, that the business serves more
than the local market rests with the applicant.
1.11 Sector fully served – This includes Building contractors and plant hire; Consultants;
Demolition Contracting; Marketing and Advertising agencies; Motor vehicle repair, bodybuilding
and coachwork; Plant hire; Printing; Timber merchants; UPVC window manufacturers /
installers. This list is not comprehensive. The onus for demonstrating, in the information
provided with this application, that the business does not fall within this category rests with the
applicant.
3.1 Jobs Profile: Please include permanent personnel directly employed at the property. Do
not include self-employed, sub-contracted or temporary personnel. Seasonal jobs may be
counted as long as the job is expected to recur indefinitely.
In the first instance this should be expressed in full time equivalent.
Full-time equivalent job: (FTE) is one of 30 hours or more per week; a part time job is one of
at least 15 hours per week; two part time jobs count as one full time equivalent job.
We might require you to provide further details on the exact number of hours being worked by
each employee in due course.
If successful with your application, please note that in order to claim the grant support for
2015/16 financial year, you will be required to provide evidence to support the increased jobs
figure that you include in item 3.1 of your application form.
3.2 Jobs Analysis: Please provide details of job type or title (e.g. shift manager; designer;
production line operative; engineer) and Standard Occupational Classification (1 – 9)
according to the following major groups:
1 Managers and senior officials (e.g. directors, production managers, hotel managers)
2 Professional occupations (e.g. science, engineering and ICT professionals)
3 Associate professional and technical occupations (e.g. technicians, designers)
4 Administrative and secretarial occupations (e.g. wages clerks, office assistants)
5 Skilled trades occupations (e.g. welders, setter-operators, computer engineers)
6 Personal service occupations (e.g. caretakers)
7 Sales and customer service occupations (e.g. call centre operators)
8 Process, plant and machine operatives (e.g. assemblers, operatives, fork lift drivers)
9 Elementary occupations (e.g. packers, machine minders, hotel porters)
Basic annual salary: does not include overtime, bonuses, pensions, allowances, employer’s
national insurance contribution, etc.
4.8 Small Business Rates Relief: Please see http://business.wales.gov.uk/runningbusiness/tax-corporation-tax-allowances-business-rates-vat/business-rates-relief-in-wales
4.9 De Minimis Aid: Please see
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32006R1998:EN:NOT
Application – Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme – June 2015
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ANNEX 2 - DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION
The information you provide in this application and which is then processed by us includes
information that is personal data for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. Under this
Act the Welsh Government must supply the following information.
Data Protection Fair Processing Information.
The data controller is The National Assembly for Wales
The information you provide will primarily be used for the purpose of processing and assessing
your application under the relevant scheme, including carrying out individual, director and
company credit checks.
The Welsh Government is under a duty to protect the public funds it handles and, for the
purposes of preventing and detecting fraud, may also share your information with other
regulatory authorities, such as Local Authorities, HM Revenue & Customs and Police.
Whilst the processing of personal data, for the above purpose, is necessarily detailed and
inherently intrusive, the Welsh Government will endeavour to ensure that information is
accurate and secure and managed by us in accordance with our obligations and duties under
the:
 Data Protection Act 1998
 Freedom of Information Act 2000
 The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and
 All other laws relating to access to information.
With this in mind, your information, including your personal information, may be the subject of a
request by another member of the public. When responding to such requests we may be
required to release information, including your personal information. Our response to such
requests will be in accordance with the guidelines provided by the National Assembly for Wales
Code of Practice on Public Access to Information. The Code is published on the Internet at:
http://wales.gov.uk/publications/accessinfo/?lang=en
“in accordance with Principle 5 of the Code, before replying to a request that would involve
disclosing information about someone whose commercial interests are likely to be affected by
the disclosure, we would normally seek to consult that person so as to ensure that any
disclosure complies with the law”.
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