Business

With energy bills and operating costs on the rise, it's becoming more expensive than ever to produce carbon emissions.

Assess your energy usage, review where you source your energy from, and install energy efficiency measures - and the average small-to-medium-sized enterprise could reduce energy bills by 18-25% and reduce their overall carbon footprint.

The Net Zero Business Grant is open to small and medium-sized businesses, including social enterprises, which meet all of the following criteria:

• the applicant is a full-time business and has a business bank account
• the business operates from commercial premises within the Renfrewshire Council area, for which there is a signed lease, rental, or licence agreement in place
• at the time of submitting the grant application, the business is neither in bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar.

This grant is not available to community groups or not-for-profit, voluntary, or charitable organisations.

Applications to this fund are limited to 1 application per business. We will not consider subsequent applications at this time.

You'll need to provide:

• an up to date business plan
• your most recent annual accounts (if applicable) or up to date management accounts
• quotes
• baseline emissions.

If a full business plan is not available, a mini business plan consisting of a 1-page summary of the company setting out its plans for the future is sufficient.

Submit an online application explaining why external financial assistance from Renfrewshire Council is necessary to enable the project to proceed.

Apply for a Net Zero Business Grant

Once we receive your application, we'll review the application against assessment criteria and will be in touch to discuss your application. We'll make our decision shortly after this meeting and, if you're successful, we'll formally offer you the grant.

Net Zero Accelerator

Scottish Enterprise's Net Zero Accelerator is a simple online tool. Businesses can use it to assess their efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions and help build their net zero action plan.

Register with Scottish Enterprise to use Net Zero Accelerator.

The Town Centre Regeneration Fund is a grant to help bring vacant, underused or derelict properties in Renfrewshire’s town centres back into use.

Specifically, it’s for where redevelopment of a significant local building or site has stalled because:

• there is a funding gap
• the cost of construction work or supplies has gone up
• restoring older buildings is complex and can require specialist skills
• economic downturns or shifts in demand can impact a project’s viability.

To qualify for funding, you must have legal ownership of the property or site, or a long-term leasehold interest (a minimum 10 years).

Your property must be:

• located in a town centre in Renfrewshire
• currently vacant, underused, or derelict
• of strategic importance including, for example, has heritage value, is prominent, or has high visibility
• potential to stimulate wider regeneration and growth in the locality.

There must be no outstanding legal disputes or legal issues with the premises or site that would delay redevelopment.

The Town Centre Regeneration Fund is provided as Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022, and applicants may be required to confirm that total MFA received does not exceed £315,000 over the current and previous 2 financial years.

To be eligible for the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, applicants who are employers must be Fair Work First employers. Read more guidance on Fair Work First (gov.scot PDF). 

Your project proposal must aim to bring the property or site back into viable and productive use.

This could include commercial, cultural, community, residential, or mixed-use developments, providing they comply with the relevant planning policies.

The grant should be used for a substantive programme of works which might include:

• preparatory works
  • site clearance or demolition of non-heritage structures
  • temporary works to stabilise or secure a building
  • asbestos removal or treatment of contaminated land.
  • essential structural repairs to make the building safe or usable
• physical works
  • roof repairs or replacements
  • external fabric repairs, including windows, masonry, or facades
  • internal adaptations or refurbishments to change how the place will be used
• heritage and conservation works
  • restoration of historically significant architectural features
  • work to comply with conservation or listed building consents
  • sensitive adaptations to allow modern use while retaining heritage value
• accessibility and compliance  
  • improvements to meet building regulations like fire safety, accessibility, or energy efficiency
  • installation of ramps, lifts, or accessible toilets
• project management and oversight
  • reasonable project management or contract administration costs. 

What you cannot use it for

You cannot use the funding for:

• buying or renting land or property
• marketing and promotional costs
• general maintenance not linked to redevelopment
• VAT (unless it is non-recoverable)
• feasibility studies and option appraisals
• professional fees relating to design for example the costs for architects, engineers, surveyors, or planning consultants
• planning application and building consent fees.

Information you need to provide

Your proposal should show how it will:

• contribute to local economic growth – for example, job creation or increased footfall
• enhance the vitality and attractiveness of the town centre or local area
• encourage sustainable neighbourhoods, sustainable links, or enhancements to greenspace
• align with local regeneration strategies and community priorities.

You need to have:

• a deliverable project with detailed designs that are fully costed
• a robust and realistic delivery plan and timeline, which can begin within 12 months of you getting the grant
• the relevant planning or building warrant permissions or confirmation that you intend to apply for consents.

You need to provide evidence:

• of any market failure which has prevented redevelopment to date
• of actions taken so far to try to bring the building back into reuse
• that without public sector intervention, the project cannot go ahead due to a funding gap or issues affecting commercial viability, such as high remediation costs related to contamination, high land values, or construction costs.

You must explain how you will use the funding, including:

• a detailed breakdown of costs which will be covered by the grant
• how the amount you ask for is proportionate to the overall costs and impact
• how the project will demonstrate best value for money if it receives funding.

We'll review premises and sites in each town centre, produce a list of priority target buildings and engage with property owners and interested parties to make them aware of the fund.

Expression of Interest (EOI) form

You do not need to be designated as a priority building to make an application – we will accept EOIs from any town centre properties that meet the eligibility criteria.  

Once we have your EOI, officers will engage with you to discuss the regeneration plans and assess whether these align with the investment criteria of the fund. EOI applications will be formerly scored by officers.  

Funding will be offered on a first come first served basis to applicants who meet the minimum scoring requirement.  

If we think your project aligns with the aims of the fund, we’ll work with you to determine how much funding you need and if it represents best value for money for the fund.

If you’d like more information about grants from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, email us at regenerationandplace@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If your Expression of Interest application is successful

If you are invited to make a full Town Centre Regeneration Fund application, you will be asked to provide the following:

• detailed specification of works, including technical drawings
• description of how the project will be managed - and who the design team are - including an outline of the strategy for the appointment of contractor(s)
• detailed budget showing income and expenditure, including contingencies
• detailed timeline for implementation of works, including timeline for securing any necessary consents
• risk register, listing project risks and mitigation strategies
• a copy of your Business Plan or equivalent (if applicable), including an explanation of how the proposed project helps fulfil it
• an explanation of how the project meets the 4 TCF outcomes:
  • how will your project contribute to local economic growth – for example, job creation or increased footfall (250 words)
  • how will your project enhance the vitality and attractiveness of the town centre or local area (250 words)
  • how will your project encourage sustainable neighbourhoods, sustainable links, or enhancements to greenspace (250 words)
  • how will your project align with local regeneration strategies and community priorities (250 words).

How we make a decision

We’ll prioritise projects that preserve or sensitively adapt heritage or listed structures or have a prominent location within a town centre.

We’ll also prioritise projects that can:

• match fund or co-invest from the private sector or other public sources
• attract additional economic activity or investment due to the funding you’re awarded.

Provisional approval  

If we approve your application on principle, we'll make a provisional offer setting out the:

• conditions of the grant
• potential amount of money you could get. 

Conditions of the grant

We cannot award the grant until you've met all the conditions of the offer.

Before any grant funding is released, you must have:

• all the relevant planning permissions or building consent, in line with the approved grant scheme
• a project delivery team in place including a main contractor, project manager and other key people for the project
• enough money to be able to pay contractors in full before they start any work.

How we pay the grant

We’ll pay the grant as works have been completed to a satisfactory standard, following an inspection by us, and you have sent us:

• proof of payment to the contractor by bank or building society transfer (BACS)
• the receipted invoice from the contractor or contractors doing the work
• evidence of all necessary planning permissions or building consent, or written confirmation that these are not needed.

We'll make the payments to your nominated bank or building society account.  

We cannot award the grant for cash payments to suppliers or contractors.  

We can make interim / stage payments in arrears towards the project. This will not be more than 90% of your grant. If you need a building warrant for the work, we will pay the final 10% of the grant when we get a completion certificate from you.

If you’d like more information about grants from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, email us at regenerationandplace@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

There are already a range of employability services available in Renfrewshire through the key employment services Invest in Renfrewshire (Renfrewshire Council), Skills Development Scotland and the DWP (Renfrew, Johnstone and Paisley job centres).

Each year the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (Renfrewshire LEP) reviews these core services, and other services available locally and nationally, and with the assistance of the 6 LEP thematic groups identify gaps in local service delivery which they wish to fill through a commissioning process.

The Renfrewshire LEP uses a local employability grants process to commission delivery partners from across the public, third and private sector to work alongside the core and statutory local services.

This ensures the local service offer meets the employability support needs of local residents, in particular those with barriers to employment who require more support than others.

About the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (Renfrewshire LEP)

Renfrewshire LEP is the strategic employability partnership for the area. It is made up of a range of local partner agencies working together to provide an integrated and supportive service to unemployed people across Renfrewshire.

The Renfrewshire LEP has a strategic management group and a number of thematic subgroups.

The Renfrewshire LEP is responsible for designing and delivering services funded by the Scottish Governments No One Left Behind approach. Read further information on the Scottish Government's No One Left Behind National Strategy.
 

You can apply if you are a public, third and private sector organisation.

Information events will take place online via Teams on:

• Wednesday 7 January 10am to 11am
• Wednesday 14 January 10am to 11am.

Invitations to these virtual sessions can be found in the key information document below.

Read these guides for more information before applying:

To apply, you'll need to send us:

• an application form
• a claim and budget form.

Download and fill in the application form:

Download and fill in the claim and budget form:

Once you've filled in both forms, email them to kay.mcintosh@renfrewshire.gov.uk, keren.ferguson@renfrewshire.gov.uk, and ceilidh.rosbotham@renfrewshire.gov.uk by 11:59pm on Sunday 1 February 2026.

If you need help to apply:

• email kay.mcintosh@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone 07955387405.

You may be able to get a full relief on your business rates for 1 year if your business is moving into a long-term empty property (a property that was empty for at least 6 months before you moved in). This is through ‘Fresh Start Relief’.

You could get relief through Fresh Start Relief if you meet all these criteria:

• you moved into the property on or after 1 April 2018 and the property had been empty for at least 6 months
• the property has a rateable value of £100,000 or less
• the property you’re applying for is actively occupied.

These property categories are ineligible for Fresh Start Relief from 1 April 2026:

• accommodation of 1 or more advertisements
• provision of facilities for betting
• payday lending
• those that require a short-term let licence but have not obtained one
• some deer forests and shootings.

To apply, you’ll need:

• business rates reference number (find it at the top of your most recent bill), unless you’re a new ratepayer
• valuation reference number, if you have one
• your business’s rateable value.

Your business rates reference number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

Find your valuation reference number and your business’s rateable value by searching for your business’s postcode on the Scottish Assessors’ Association website.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Apply for business rates relief for businesses moving into long-term empty properties

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.

You can get a full or partial relief on your business rates if your organisation provides certain services for people with disabilities.

You can get up to a 100% relief on your business rates if your organisation provides:

• residential accommodation for the care or aftercare of people who are ill
• training for people with disabilities
• welfare services or workshops for people with disabilities.

This relief is not available for properties used for:

• the administrative purposes of charities that support people with disabilities
• treatment, rather than aftercare, of people who are ill.

To apply, you’ll need your business rates account number.

Your business rates account number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

You’ll need to provide a plan or diagram of the layout of each floor in your property. You’ll need to list the purpose of each room so we can understand how you’re using the property.

If you’re an agent acting on behalf of the owner or tenant, you’ll also need to provide a copy of your agent’s declaration.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Apply for business rates relief for properties providing services for people with disabilities

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.

You can get a full relief on your business rates if your organisation is a day nursery.

You can get a 100% relief on your business rates if you use your property mainly or entirely as a nursery that also provides day care of children.

To apply, you’ll need your business rates account number.

Your business rates account number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Attach your application to this online form

Send your application to:

Renfrewshire Council
Finance and Resources, Revenues Business Team
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1AN

Fill in this PDF form

Then, send us your completed form using one of the methods below.

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.

You may be able to get a full or partial relief on your business rates if your property is empty.

Standard commercial properties

If your standard commercial property is empty, you can get:

• 50% business rates relief for the first 3 months of being empty
• 10% relief after the first 3 months.

Industrial properties

If your industrial property is empty, you can get:

• 100% business rates relief for the first 6 months of being empty
• 10% relief after the first 6 months.

New-build properties

If your new-build property is empty, you can usually get 100% business rates relief for the first 12 months after the property becomes occupied or for 4 years after the date that the property was added to the valuation roll, whichever is sooner.

Partly occupied properties

If only part of your property is empty and another part is occupied, you may be able to get business rates relief on the empty portion of the property. The rate of relief depends on your specific circumstances, such as the building’s layout or which parts are occupied.

The start date for this relief is the later of these dates:

• when the part occupation began
• the start of the financial year in which you applied for relief.

The end date for this relief is the earliest of these dates:

• when the part occupation ended
• the end of the financial year in which you applied for relief.
• when the property becomes fully empty.

We may extend this relief into the following financial year, depending on your circumstances.

Other types of empty properties

You can get 10% business rates relief if the empty property meets any of these criteria:

• has a rateable value less than £1,700
• cannot be occupied by law
• is under a compulsory purchase order
• has no buildings on it (in other words, the property is just empty land)
• the owner is in administration or is subject to an administration order
• the owner is a company or partnership that is winding up (see ‘winding up’ on mygov.scot website).

To apply, you’ll need your business rates account number.

Your business rates account number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

You’ll also need to include details about when and why the property became empty.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Apply for relief for a standard commercial or industrial property

Apply for relief for a new-build property

Apply for relief for a partly occupied property

Apply for relief for another type of empty property

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.

You may be able to get a partial relief on your business rates if you have a hospitality, retail, or leisure business.

From 2026–27 to 2028–29, additional reliefs for eligible properties in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors are available:

• 15% relief for eligible properties liable for the basic or intermediate property rate (those with a rateable value up to and including £100,000), capped at £110,000 per business per year
• an additional 25% relief for eligible licensed hospitality and music venues, also liable for the basic or intermediate property rate, available for the same 3-year period.

Together, these reliefs will give eligible licensed hospitality premises and music venues a total of 40% relief for the next three years, capped at £110,000 per business per year.

If you’re already receiving 100% business rates relief for another reason (for example, through the Small Business Bonus Scheme), then there’s no need to apply for hospitality relief.

To apply, you’ll need:

• your business rates account number
• your company registration number.

Your business rates account number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Apply for business rates relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.

You may be able to get a full or partial relief on your business rates if you have a small business. This is through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme will continue with its current relief rates and thresholds for the next 3 years (as of April 2026), but several eligibility changes took place with effect from 1 April 2026. These changes apply to premises which require a short-term let licence and to those which relate to deer forests and shooting rights. Because of this, all affected ratepayers must make a new application for 2026–2027. Other existing exclusions – including payday lenders, advertisements, car parks, and betting shops – will also remain in place.

There are three types of relief for small businesses available.

If you have 1 business property

The relief you can get through the Small Business Bonus Scheme depends on your property’s rateable value.

If you have more than 1 business property

The relief you can get through the Small Business Bonus Scheme depends on the total, combined rateable value of all of your properties.

You must declare all business properties you own in Scotland on your application. Failure to do so may be considered fraud.

Small Business Transitional Relief

This relief limits the net rates bill increase in 2026–27 to 25% of what it would otherwise have been after all other applicable reliefs – including General Revaluation Transitional Relief – are applied. You must apply to get this relief.

You can get this relief if your property:

• received Small Business Bonus Scheme relief on 31 March 2026
• received Small Business Transitional Relief on 31 March 2026
• qualified for mandatory or discretionary Rural Relief on 31 March 2026 but lost eligibility from 1 April 2026 because the rateable value rose above the thresholds set out in the Non-Domestic Rating (Rural Areas and Rateable Value Limits) (Scotland) Order 2005 (as amended) (legislation.gov.uk website)
• received hospitality relief on 31 March 2026.

In 2027–28 and 2028–29, the relief will limit net bill increases to 50% and 75%, respectively.

You are not eligible for Small Business Transitional Relief if your property is required to hold a short-term let licence but does not have one.

You could get relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme if:

• the combined rateable value of all your business properties is £35,000 or less
• the rateable values of individual properties are £20,000 or less
• the property you’re applying for is actively occupied.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme is not available to advertisements, car parks, betting shops, and payday lending businesses.

To apply, you’ll need:

• your business rates account number
• your company registration number.

Your business rates account number is 11 digits long and begins with a 5, 6, or 8. You can find it on your most recent business rates bill.

If you need help with your application, you can either:

• contact us online
• phone us on 0300 300 0202.

Apply for business rates relief for small businesses

We'll let you know of our decision by email.

You should continue to pay your business rates bill as normal until you’ve received an updated bill.