Fortunately it is possible to get assistance with completing the necessary paperwork. Grants are available from the government to support businesses that need to complete this task. To qualify for any grant funding, the business must be established in the UK and have a clean tax record. 

Three different types of grant are available. Indvidual businesses can apply for any combination of them. 

• Recruitment grant – This is only applicable to businesses who already prepare customs declarations on behalf of others. Applicants also need
to have been in operation in the UK for at least 12 months. This will not help those forced into declarations by Brexit, but will help those with an expanded customer base due to increased demand. The available amount is £3,000 per employee. It is also possible to apply for up to £10,000 for any employee recruited before 31 January 2020 to help cover the initial salary. This second amount will be paid 50% up front and 50% after a month of employment. 

• Training grant – This is to support training of staff to complete customs declarations for trade with the EU, whether for their own employer or for other businesses. The grant will cover up to £2,250 per course if the business uses an external training company. If the business arranges for the training to be conducted internally instead it can claim up to £250 per employee. 

• IT grant – This is to enable businesses to buy appropriate hardware and software to enable them to prepare the necessary documentation. It includes the first year costs for licenced software and any training of employees necessary to enable them to use the software. Grants will only be paid based on quotes for the specific purchases to be made with a maximum possible grant of 200,000 Euros. This maximum amount may change post-Brexit as it is the upper limit on state aid to individual businesses under EU rules. 

Whichever grant you wish to apply for, you will need to provide the following information.

• Registered name and number
• Contact details
• VAT Number (if registered)
• Unique Tax Reference (UTR)
• Most recent utility bill

Each type of grant has its own specific requirements for additional information. Details of what else is required, along with a link to make an application, can be found here (tinyurl.com/CustomsGrants).

Their conservation grazing habits have transformed Warren Glen from a bracken-dominated habitat to one where native coastal grassland and heather now prevail. 

PICTURE: Tracy Hobden

Colin Fitzgerald, lead councillor at Hastings Borough Council for environmental services, wished them well in their new home, saying: “They have been a great attraction for the public and they have done a fantastic job of recovering threatened and rare coastal habitats.” 

He explained that “as a conservation tool, they have been invaluable in helping the council retain their green flag awards” and have received a special award from the Keep Britain Tidy group for conservation grazing.  The council will be contacting other organisations to see if another set of ponies can be brought to the reserve.

Exmoor ponies are particularly suited to the rugged terrain of Hastings Country Park and they have become a familiar and well-loved sight at the country park. Together with the Belted Galloway cattle, they form the conservation grazing backbone for managing the rugged and inaccessible areas of Hastings Country Park.