Apply for Hardship Relief for business rates

[johnmckerrell]

We're doing this, I've given the following answers to questions (they mostly had fixed lengths which I've used most of:

• Provide full details of why the business is experiencing hardship

Our business has been operating in Liverpool for 14 years providing low cost access to small scale manufacturing equipment ("Making") to artists and small product designers. As a Community Interest Company run not for profit we aim to keep prices as low as possible as we only need to cover costs. Unfortunately we have seen costs rise large amounts over the past 2 years as our rent and our business rates have both been increased. We attempted to challenge our rates valuation and believed that this would be successful and would enable us to keep our prices down. Unfortunately this was not successful (although we are now challenging again using a third party surveyor, our previous attempt was submitted by ourselves only).

• Outline how and when the business will return to profitability and how any discretionary financial support will help you achieve this

In November 2024 we agreed that we would raise prices, This was fully costed to ensure that the rise that we have applied will cover our expenses going forward. Unfortunately as we have left this quite late, trying not to pass the costs on to our community, it has meant that we have run through any buffer that we have. We have also engaged our community to help us to market the space to try to ensure that we get more paying members visiting, this will involve running paid and free workshops for building up skills.

• Outline how your business contributes to the economic growth or regeneration of the local area

DoES Liverpool contributes to the economic growth and regeneration of the local area by fostering a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs, makers, and small businesses. By providing affordable coworking spaces, access to shared workshops, and state-of-the-art equipment like 3D printers and laser cutters, we enable individuals and businesses to develop, prototype, and scale their ideas without prohibitive costs.

Our community-driven approach actively supports startups, freelancers, and SMEs, creating new job opportunities and driving innovation in Liverpool. Additionally, we host regular events, workshops, and meetups, which not only upskill local talent but also attract visitors and investments into the area, reinforcing Liverpool’s reputation as a hub for creativity and enterprise.

(That last one was actually generated by ChatGPT! It covered what I had put in my own version and I thought was decent so went with it.)