Following the impacts of the Fylingdales Moor Wildfire, North Yorkshire Council and partners have been working closely with government departments to access business support for those most affected.

In flooding incidents, national frameworks exist to provide this assistance; however, no equivalent scheme is currently in place for wildfires. In April 2026, we were informed that the government would not establish a scheme to support businesses in this way.

We are now working with the Two Ridings Community Foundation as a funding delivery partner to provide a one off, targeted, local offer as part of the North Yorkshire Extreme Weather Business Support Fund (a variation of the Tadcaster and Selby Flood Grant Scheme) to support those businesses directly affected by the events following the August bank holiday.

Two Ridings Community Foundation - 2025 Fylingdales Moor Wildfire Recovery Grant 

This is a basic wildfire recovery grant of up to £2,500 per eligible business to support recovery in the aftermath of this event. Further discretionary hardship funding (LINK) may also be available.

Eligibility

For reporting purposes, eligible businesses will be:

• registered small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located within the Fylingdales Moor wildfire affected areas that were required to be evacuated due to the danger to life risk, and forced to close by the emergency services as a direct result of the Fylingdales Moor wildfire incident

Note: small and medium-sized enterprises may include sole trader, partnership, limited company, charity, community interest company, community benefit society, not for profit trade associations.

This includes, for example, businesses that:

• were formally instructed to evacuate or stop operations by fire and rescue or other emergency services; and
• were therefore unable to operate from their premises for a period of time during the emergency, and can demonstrate a loss of traded income as a result

The scheme is not intended to support businesses that were able to remain open, even where they experienced disruption such as nearby road closures, reduced visitor numbers, or general trading impacts arising from the incident.

Priority will be given to businesses with a turnover of less than £500,000 with due consideration given to their insurance. 

Eligible businesses will be contacted directly.

What we cannot fund

Funding will not be used:

• to reward poor business practices - for example, where a business has made no reasonable effort to obtain appropriate insurance or implement recommended resilience measures following previous incidents
• to cover routine business costs
• for costs that are recoverable from insurance or other funding sources; or
• for costs associated with reinstating public realm (land and assets that are owned, managed, or maintained for public use or benefit) or residential properties (private dwelling houses or accommodation) will not be covered

When distributing grants, Two Ridings Community Foundation, working with the council, will determine final eligibility on a case-by-case basis, in line with the spirit and intent of the scheme, and to ensure funding is targeted at businesses that suffered direct, unavoidable trading cessation as a result of emergency services’ instructions.

Two Ridings Community Foundation - 2025 Fylingdales Moor Wildfire additional hardship support 

Eligibility

In the event that a business receives the basic Wild Fire Recovery Grant, then an additional hardship support payment up to a value of £12,000 in the form of a grant, could also be activated.  

The level of this payment will be determined by us and will be based on:

• the degree of adverse impact and consequent hardship evidenced by the business
• the amount of business rate relief to which the business might reasonably have been entitled to

In determining whether business activity has been adversely affected, we will consider the full context of activities undertaken at the hereditament. Very small or insignificant impacts will not qualify for support under this scheme.  

To be eligible, the rateable value of the hereditament of the business on the day needs to have been less than £10 million. The scheme does not provide relief for hereditaments that were empty at the time of the wildfire, as no business activity was taking place.

Eligible businesses will be contacted directly.

Empty properties

Where a hereditament becomes empty after the incident, it will receive the standard empty property relief period (three or six months, as applicable), or continue to receive the remaining balance of the wildfire relief, where appropriate.

Further information

The scheme will close on 25 August 2026.

If you have any questions about the scheme please contact us by email.