Recent government announcements have confirmed a package of measures to provide support for businesses registered for business rates to minimise the impact of COVID 19. One of these measures provides for a grant of £10,000 to be made available to all businesses in receipt of Small Business or Rural Rate Relief.
NHS England Guidelines
A top priority is for everyone to stay safe and well. If you have any symptoms of the coronavirus please follow the advice given from NHS England, link provided below. It is paramount that everyone follows the hand washing and high standards of hygiene guidelines and self-isolate if you think you have come into contact with the virus to help limit the spread of it.
The NHS has up to date information so please familiarise yourself with it and ensure your staff members, family and friends are following the same advice to keep us all safe.
For guidance, advice and symptoms please use:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/
As we are advised not to go to the doctors if we think we have symptoms please use the 111 link:
https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19
Government Guidelines
It is important as business owners, employers and employees to stay well-informed on the up to date advice and guidelines to protect everyone. There are designated Government website links that have all the relevant up to date information. These links are below and should be the sites you are using to keep well-informed. The links will also be displayed on our website.
For current information and Government responses please use:
https://www.gov.uk/government/
For guidance for employers and businesses, including up to date HR guidance please use:
https://www.gov.uk/government/
For up to date information on business support, please take a look at the link below to the LEP website, where you will find all the latest funding streams being released to the LEP:
https://www.the-lep.com/
A full range of business support measures have been made available to UK businesses and employees. This page helps businesses find out how to access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply. https://bit.ly/BizSupportSite
You can also sign up email alerts direct from the government around all things COVID-19. Information around grants should be emailed straight to you this way:
https://www.gov.uk/email-signup?link=/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
Small Business Rate Relief Grant
Details of the form to be completed for businesses eligible for the £10,000 grant to businesses in receipt of Small Business or Rural Rate Relief.
Government cash grant for retail and leisure
If your business is in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector, you will receive a cash grant of up to £25,000 per property.
Businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000.
Businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.
Self-employed Income Support Scheme
The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
HMRC will use the average profits from tax returns in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 to calculate the size of the grant. The scheme will be open to those where the majority of their income comes from self-employment and who have profits of less than £50,000. The scheme will be open for an initial three months with people able to make their first claim by the beginning of June.