Your Council Is Sitting on Five Freebies — Here's How to Claim Before April

Every council in the UK has pots of money and support that go unspent. Not because they are hiding it. Because nobody asks. Right now, with the 2026/27 financial year heading towards 31 March 2027, several of those pots are about to close. Here are five things your council already does for free — and how to actually claim them before the money goes back to the centre.

1. Discretionary rate relief

Small Business Rates Relief is automatic if you qualify. Discretionary rate relief is not. It is a separate pot that councils can use for charities, social enterprises, and businesses facing genuine hardship — and most owners never ask. It is not a grant you can bank on, but it is worth a phone call if your rates bill has jumped or you are in a period of disruption.

How to claim: Find 'discretionary rate relief' on your council's business rates page, download the form, and send it with evidence — accounts, a short covering letter, and any supporting paperwork. Ask the business rates team what their local policy says. Apply before the end of the financial year; awards are usually made for one year at a time.

2. Business support vouchers

Many councils fund growth vouchers, digital grants, or consultancy support through their economic development team or local Growth Hub. They are often match-funded — you put in £500, they put in £500, for example — and they are almost always underspent. The catch is that the money is usually allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

How to claim: Search your council website for 'business support grant' and 'growth voucher'. Then call the economic development team and ask one question: 'What schemes are open right now, and what is the deadline?' Ask about subsidy control rules if you are already receiving other public funding.

3. Free recruitment and skills cash

Councils run job fairs, wage incentives, and skills bootcamps. They also help smaller firms access Apprenticeship Levy transfers from larger employers. If you are hiring, this is real money — but it is usually buried in the employment and skills team, not the business rates page.

How to claim: Call the council's employment and skills team. Ask about 'skills bootcamps', 'levy transfer', and 'local recruitment incentives'. If you are taking on an apprentice, ask specifically whether there is a transfer pool available. Get the name of the person who owns the scheme and follow up by email.

4. Procurement portals

Every council buys goods and services. Most of those contracts are advertised on procurement portals such as ProContract, In-Tend, or Delta. Small firms often assume they are too small to bid. That is wrong. Councils actively want local suppliers, and many contracts below the UK procurement thresholds are never seen by national firms.

How to claim: Register on your council's procurement portal — it is free — and set up email alerts for your category. Look for 'meet the buyer' events and supplier open days. If you sell something the council buys, ask the procurement team which framework or dynamic purchasing system they use. A 20-minute conversation can put you on the list for the next three years.

5. Empty property grants

If you are looking at an empty shop or commercial unit, your council may offer a grant to bring it back into use. Some councils also own units and offer rent-free periods or reduced rents for the first year. The schemes vary wildly, but the regeneration team usually has a budget for exactly this.

How to claim: Contact the regeneration or economic development team and ask for the 'empty property strategy' or 'empty commercial property grant'. Submit an expression of interest with a short business plan and a quote for the works. Do not sign a lease before you have asked — some grants require the property to be empty at the point of application.

The March cut-off

The current financial year ends on 31 March 2027. Councils cannot carry most of these budgets forward. If a scheme is underspent in February, it either gets spent in a hurry or it goes back. That is why the best time to call is now — not in March, when the team is firefighting and the budget holder is on annual leave.

The script

You do not need a consultant. You need one phone call. Try this: 'I am a local business owner. I am looking at the support your council offers for rates, recruitment, premises or procurement. Can you tell me what is open right now, what the deadline is, and who owns the budget?'

Then write down the name. Send a follow-up email. Apply. The worst that happens is you get a no. The best is that you get a grant, a rate reduction, or a contract that pays for your next hire.

Your council is not a mystery. It is a bureaucracy with a budget. Go and ask.