Coronavirus Outbreak Information and Updates
If your business will or has been affected by COVID-19 in anyway - be it staffing concerns, importing or exporting goods issues, or a supply chain issue - please contact our team on 01905 677 888 or email info@business-central.co.uk Read our latest ArticlesContact our teamBUSINESS SUPPORT UPDATE – 26 MAY 2020
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday evening (26 May), the government announced a timeline for businesses to repon in June. Read the full statement here.
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Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to reopen from 1 June, as soon as they are able to meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect shoppers and workers. As with garden centres, the risk of transmission of the virus is lower in these outdoor and more open spaces. Car showrooms often have significant outdoor space and it is generally easier to apply social distancing.
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All other non-essential retail including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and indoor markets, will be expected to be able to reopen from 15 June if the Government’s five tests are met and they follow the COVID-19 secure guidelines, giving them three weeks to prepare.
Guidance for reopening can be found here.
Worcestershire Business Central are providing information, guidance, and advice for businesses and employees. Find all the latest information on how we can support your business below.
If your business has been affected by the coronavirus, please take a brief moment to complete our short survey. Click here.
The government are giving businesses access to a £350 billion package of grants, loans, and business support – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. The following funding and support schemes are available:
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
The Coronavirus Business Interruption scheme supports small and medium-sized businesses with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to six years. The funding can be accessed through a British Business Bank accredited lender. View the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) here.
All businesses with a turnover over £45 million can apply for £25m of finance, and businesses with a turnover of over £250m can apply for £50m. Please click here to find out more.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.
HMRC have produced this step by step guidance on how to make a claim.
The government have also created a calculator to help you work out the figures to make your clam.
To start your Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme claim, please click here.
Find out more
Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan Scheme
The Bounce Back Loan scheme will help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000.
The government will guarantee 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months.
Loan terms will be up to 6 years. No repayments will be due during the first 12 months. The government will work with lenders to agree a low rate of interest for the remaining period of the loan.
Find out more
Self-employment Income Support Scheme
If you cannot maintain your current workforce because your operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can furlough employees and apply for a grant that covers 80% of their usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of the minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on that subsidised furlough pay.
Find out more
Cash Grant for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
If your business is in the retail, hospitality or leisure sector, you can receive a cash grant of up to £25,000 per property.
If your business is in Worcester, Malvern Hills or Wychavon District Council areas then you will need to register your details via the links to the respective Council websites as below.
Find out more
Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR)
Small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief.
If your business is in Worcester, Malvern Hills or Wychavon District Council areas then you will need to register your details via the links to the respective Council websites as below.
Find out more
Statutory Sick Pay
For businesses with fewer than 250 employees, the cost of providing 14 days of Statutory Sick Pay per employee will be refunded by the government in full. This will provide 2 million businesses with up to £2 billion to cover the costs of large-scale sick leave.
Find out more
Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility
The new Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) means that the Bank of England will buy short-term debt from larger companies. This will support companies which are fundamentally strong, but have been affected by a short-term funding squeeze.
Find out more
Future Fund
This scheme will issue convertible loans between £125,000 to £5 million to innovative companies which are facing financing difficulties due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more
Business Rates Relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
A 100% business rates holiday for the next 12 months for all retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses, no matter what their rateable values are.
Find out more
Time to Pay
A dedicated helpline has been set up to help businesses and self-employed individuals in financial distress and with outstanding tax liabilities receive support with their tax affairs. If you are concerned about being able to pay your tax due to COVID-19, call HMRC’s dedicated helpline on 0800 0159 559.
Find out more
Deferral of Self-Assessment payment
The Self-Assessment payment on account, that is ordinarily due to be paid to HMRC by 31 July 2020 may now be deferred until January 2021.
Find out more
VAT Deferral
The government will support businesses by deferring Valued Added Tax (VAT) payments for 3 months.
Find out more
The Skills Toolkit
A new online learning platform to help boost the nation’s skills while people are staying at home.
Free courses are available through a new online platform hosted on the gov.uk website, called The Skills Toolkit. The new platform gives people access to free, high-quality digital and numeracy courses to help build up their skills, progress in work and boost their job prospects.
Find out more
Cyber Crime
Protect yourself and your business from fraud and cyber crime. The goverment has provided simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your business.
Find out more
Support finder
A new ‘support finder’ tool will help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the coronavirus pandemic.
The new online platform on gov.uk asks business owners and the self-employed to fill out a quick and simple online questionnaire. They will then be directed to a list of all the financial support they may be eligible for. You can find out more about the tool here.
FAQS
Frequently asked questions for business and employers
Department for International Trade
Guidance for UK businesses trading internationally
Advice for UK businesses that export or deliver goods and services abroad and have been impacted by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). It includes:
- DIT support for UK business trading internationally
- Financial support for business trading internationally
Find out more
Companies House
Guidance for Companies House customers, employees and suppliers
Companies House has robust plans in place to maintain services for customers and protect the welfare of employees during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Find out more
Prince’s Trust
The Prince’s Trust and NatWest Enterprise Relief Fund
The £5million Enterprise Relief Fund will offer grants to 18 to 30-year olds across the UK who are self-employed and/or running their own business.
Find out more
UKRI
Get funding for ideas that address COVID-19
Proposals are invited for short-term projects addressing and mitigating the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.
UKRI will support excellent proposals up to 18 months duration.
Find out more
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Additional Sources of Support
We hope you have found the information on this site helpful. We will continue to up-date this page when we receive new information. For additional government support, please follow the link below.
Business Support Outside of GoverNment
Government is working with Business Representative Organisations to support the response to coronavirus and ensure business voices are heard.
#HERE2HELP
Can your business offer support to Worcestershire County Council during the coronavirus crisis?
Firms who wish to help the community can now easily volunteer their goods, services, and time thanks to the #Here2Help campaign from Worcestershire County Council.
Worcestershire County Council would love to hear from you if you have any goods and services that you wish to donate.
Coronavirus Support From Your business
Use this service to tell government how your business might be able to help in the response to coronavirus.
Businesses will be asked questions about the type of support they can offer and will then be contacted as soon your support is required.
Business & Premises Closure Guidance
Following government advice that non-essential businesses and premises must now shut, they have released further guidance on what businesses and premises should close and any exceptions. Find out out more.
The Pensions Regulator
Automatic enrolment and DC pension contributions: COVID-19 guidance for employers. Find out out more.
If Your Business is Staying Open
This guidance will assist employers, businesses and their staff in staying open safely during coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here to find out more.
IR35 Regulations Delayed
Off-payroll working rules reforms postponed until 2021. Implementation of reforms to off-payroll working rules delayed for 12 months. Click here to find out more.
Self-employed Businesses and Universal Tax Credit.
Self-employed businesses can apply for Universal Tax Credit. Find out more.
Mortgage Help for Homeowners
Mortgage lenders have agreed they will support customers that are experiencing issues with their finances as a result of Covid-19, including through payment holidays of up to 3 months. Find out more.
Q&A on Insurance Related Queries
Association of British Insurers (ABI) have produced a Coronavirus Q&A on insurance related queries. Find out more.
Travel Advice for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Guidance for British people travelling overseas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Find out more.
Crowdfunder
Crowdfunder are offering businesses 100% free fundraising for your business during the coronavirus crisis. Find out more.
Coronavirus info WhatsApp Group
Government has set-up a new free to use service through WhatsApp, aiming to provide official, trustworthy and timely information and advice about coronavirus, and will further reduce the burden on NHS services. Find out more.
Working From Home Advice
In these unprecedented times, more and more of us are working from home. Whether your colleagues are practiced homeworkers, or new to it, the same practicalities apply to keep them and your business safe. Find out more.
Resources
Resources have been made available for businesses to access, download and share. You can find out more and access these resources by clicking here.
Latest News
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Protecting Your Business Against Cyber Crime
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has immeasurably changed our day-to-day lives, and we are spending more time at home, and as a consequence, utilising the internet to access work and communicate with the outside world. Unfortunately, criminals will take every opportunity to...
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Never has cash been more important to SMEs than during the current disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to this, forecasting and continually updating cash flow information is crucial. Forecasting is not only important to support any funding applications...
WBC Blog – Feed the Nation
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APPLY NOW – CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME EXTENDED
The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended until the end of June to continue to ensure the protection of jobs across the UK. With social distancing measures continuing across the UK, the government announced the extension of the furlough...
Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme Launches
The government today launched the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, complementing the existing support that includes the Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Business Interuption Scheme. At a press conference last Thursday (16...
Information for the public on the outbreak of coronavirus, including the current situation in the UK and information about the virus and its symptoms, updated daily on the GOV.UK website.
In most cases, Covid-19 is mild, but everyone should remain vigilant and carry on with good personal hygiene measures, which include:
- Giving your hands a good wash with soap and water is the most effective action you can take (but hand gels can be a good substitute).
- Maintaining personal hygiene when coughing or sneezing is also important – use a tissue rather than your hands and then throw it away.
- Using cleaning wipes to give your keyboard, desk, phone etc. the once-over on a regular basis.
If someone is feeling unwell and has the symptoms set out on the public health website they should not go to their doctor or a hospital. They should ring 111 to get further advice. Keep up to date with advice via the NHS coronavirus web pages.
