Newsletter dated 11th September 2020
In July, the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government announced £20 million new government grants to help smaller and medium sized businesses recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands of smaller businesses in England could benefit from £20 million of government funding to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding will be available from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and the level of funding per LEP can be seen here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/906229/GH_Funding_Information_and_Allocations_FINAL_UPDATED_030820.pdf
SME’s will have access to grants of between £1,000 - £5,000 to help them access new technology and other equipment as well as professional, legal, financial or other advice to help them get back on track.
To apply and find out more, please locate and contact your local area Growth Hub. You can do this by following the link below and clicking on the LEP in your area - going direct to them.
Details of all Growth Hubs can be found here: https://www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/
The Governments new requirements for businesses mean that premises and venues across England like pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas must have a system in place by law to record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff in the latest move to break the latest move to monitor the transmission of coronavirus.
These businesses and organisations had been advised to collect and share data, with many effectively doing so, but following the recent move to ban social gatherings of more than 6 people, the data collection programme will now be formally mandated from 18 September.
Further guidance and, where necessary, regulations will be set out specifying the settings which will be included, but the scope will cover the hospitality industry, such as pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as close contact services and other tourism and leisure venues.
Additionally, venues could be fined if they fail to ensure their premises remain COVID-secure, such as failing to take specified steps to collect contact information or taking bookings for groups of more than 6. Further details will be set out shortly and we will keep you updated.
The Government has issued guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers on the regulations and legal obligations of running testing programmes.
Some employers and third-party healthcare providers may want to introduce their own internal testing programmes outside of the NHS Test and Trace service. This guidance will help them ensure that their testing programmes are as reliable and effective as possible. It covers:
The process for companies that have applied to be struck off the register resumed 10 September following changes to temporary measures announced in April 2020.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Companies House paused all strike off activity to relieve the burden on businesses and to protect creditors and other interested parties who may have had difficulties in registering an objection.
The measures have been reviewed monthly and the latest change has been implemented after careful consideration and feedback from customers and stakeholders.
This means all companies that applied to be struck off before July 2020 will be struck off the register in a phased approach over the next 4 weeks, starting on 10 September 2020.
For companies that applied to be struck off from July 2020 onwards, the voluntary strike off process will continue as normal after this initial 4-week period.
If you are now reopening your business should refer to the latest guidance from the Government.
There is risk assessment guidance to help businesses make sensible adjustments to the workplace on the webpage: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-reopening
The guidance on working safely varies between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
England: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-returning-to-work/
Wales: https://gov.wales/keep-wales-safe-work
Northern Ireland: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/coronavirus-workplace-safety-guidance-and-priority-sector-list-published
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