COVID-19 Business support information!

March 24, 2020

Business Resilience
How can I prepare my business for the impacts of Covid-19?
GOV.UK provides advice on business continuity management. The link below provides details on developing your own plan. It includes a Business Continuity Management toolkit to help you identify all the issues you need to consider and how to make your own arrangements to manage business interruption.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/resilience-in-society-infrastructure-communities-and-businesses#business-continuity

Government interventions and support for businesses 
All guidance, information and announcements can be found at GOV.UK. Organisations should pay particular attention to the guidance for employees, employers and businesses which is being updated regularly with the latest advice.

The Government is supporting businesses and their employees through a package of measures during this period of unprecedented disruption. The Business Support website helps you find the right support, advice and information to help with the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on your business. This website will continue to be updated as information becomes available.

A full range of business support measures have been made available to UK businesses and employees. Find out how to access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply here.

Grant Support And Rebates
Temporary Business Rates Relief
The Government will increase the Business Rates retail discount to 100% for one year and expand it to the leisure and hospitality sectors, and increase the planned rates discount for pubs to £5,000. Taken together with existing small business rate relief (which provides full relief for businesses using a single property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less), an estimated 900,000 properties, or 45% of all properties in England, will receive 100% business rates relief in 2020 to 2021:Businesses that received the retail discount in 2019-20 will be rebilled by their local authority as soon as possible. Those businesses eligible for the newly expanded retail discount and/or the new pubs discount may need to apply to their local authority to receive the discount. Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the reliefs should be directed to the relevant local authority. Guidance for local authorities on the application of the expanded retail discount will be published by MHCLG by 20 MarchSmall Business Grant Schemes

  • The Government will provide an additional £7 billion funding for local authorities to support small businesses that already pay little or no Business Rates because of Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR). This will provide a one-off grant of £10,000 to around 700,000 business currently eligible for SBRR or Rural Rate Relief, to help meet their ongoing business costs. For a property with a rateable value of £12,000, this is one quarter of their rateable value, or comparable to 3 months of rent.
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme now open for applications (23 March):  
To apply, you should talk to your bank or one of the 40 accredited finance providers (not the British Business Bank) as soon as possible, to discuss your business plan. You can find out the latest on the best ways to contact them via their websites. The full rules of the scheme and the list of accredited lenders are available here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils/accredited-lenders/   
Tax helpline to support businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)

HMRC has a set up a phone helpline to support businesses and self-employed people concerned about not being able to pay their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The helpline allows any business or self-employed individual who is concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus to get practical help and advice. Up to 2,000 experienced call handlers are available to support businesses and individuals when needed.
If you run a business or are self-employed and are concerned about paying your tax due to coronavirus, you can call
HMRC’s helpline for help and advice: 0800 0159 559.
For those who are unable to pay due to coronavirus, HMRC will discuss your specific circumstances to explore:
agreeing an instalment arrangement
suspending debt collection proceedings
cancelling penalties and interest where you have administrative difficulties contacting or paying HMRC immediately
                                The helpline number is 0800 0159 559 – and is an addition to other HMRC phone contact numbers.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, and Saturday 8am to 4pm. The helpline will not be available on Bank Holidays.
For individual businesses, the first port of call for advice and support is gov.uk. However, businesses in England, of all sizes, can pick up the phone and speak directly to an advisor at the Staffordshire Business Helpline on 0300 111 8002 or the National Business Support Helpline on 0300 456 3565

NEW: Companies House has produced guidance if coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected your company and you need more time to file your accounts. Find all the information here.

NEW: Guidance for British people living or travelling overseas following the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Find the update guidance here.

Online resources for businesses and employers 

For the latest information and advice, employers and business owners should visit guidance for employees, employers and businesses. Check the page regularly for updates and subscribe to receive email alerts.

Information includes:

What support is there for employees / self-employed affected by coronavirus?

There are a number of measures:
Statutory Sick Pay
Universal Credit
Minimum Income Floor
‘New Style’/Contributory Employment and Support Allowance

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will now be available for eligible individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 or those who are unable to work because they are self-isolating in line with Government advice. This is in addition to the change announced by the Prime Minister that SSP will be payable from day 1 instead of day 4 for affected individuals.
People who are advised to self-isolate for COVID-19 will soon be able to obtain an alternative to the fit note to cover this by contacting NHS 111 online, rather than visiting a doctor. This can be used by employees where their employers require evidence. Further details will be confirmed shortly. In the meantime employers should use their discretion.
Those who are not eligible for SSP, for example the self-employed or people earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £118 per week, can now more easily make a claim for Universal Credit or Contributory Employment and Support Allowance:
for the duration of the outbreak, the requirements of the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed for those who have COVID-19 or are self-isolating according to government advice, ensuring self-employed claimants will receive support

people will be able to claim Universal Credit and access advance payments upfront without the current requirement to attend a jobcentre if they are advised to self-isolate

contributory Employment and Support Allowance will be payable, at a rate of £73.10 a week if you are over 25, for eligible people affected by COVID-19 or self-isolating in line with advice from Day 1 of sickness, rather than Day 8.

Gig Economy Workers 

What are you doing to help gig economy workers who will be affected by Covid-19?
⦁ Many gig economy workers will be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (i.e. those who are employed and earn more than £118 per week from a single employer). These workers will benefit from the changes to Statutory Sick Pay announced in Budget.
⦁ Those gig economy workers not eligible for statutory sick pay (e.g. the self-employed and very low earners) will be able to receive support from the benefits system.
⦁ Gig economy workers who have paid sufficient NICs contributions, even through multiple jobs, will be entitled to new style ESA. If they haven’t made sufficient contributions, they can apply for Universal Credit.

Claiming SSP Rebate

The Government will bring forward legislation to allow small- and medium-sized businesses and employers to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be as follows:

this refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19

employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible – the size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020

employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19

employers should maintain records of staff absences, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note

eligible period for the scheme will commence the day after the regulations on the extension of Statutory Sick Pay to self-isolators comes into force

the government will work with employers over the coming months to set up the repayment mechanism for employers as soon as possible. Existing systems are not designed to facilitate employer refunds for SSP

The Government currently advises businesses to continue to operate as usual

There is presently no reason businesses or individuals should stop carrying out their daily activities as they normally would.

  • There is currently no need to close your workplace, cancel meetings or large-scale events or initiate working from home.
  • There is no need to close your workplace or send other staff home if a suspected case has recently been in your workplace, unless you have been directed to do so by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team.
  • Businesses are not being advised to cancel travel, except to at risk regions. FCO travel advice remains under constant review and the latest guidance can be found here.
  • Employees should continue to follow existing risk assessments and safe systems of work. There is no perceived increase in risk for handling post or freight from specified areas.
  • Sector specific guidance for care professionals, workers in education and other affected sectors is available on GOV.UK and updated regularly.

Businesses should check for daily updates at GOV.UK and subscribe to receive email alerts to ensure they are acting on the most up to date information. 

see links for further information from separate counties:

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/coronavirus

https://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/emergency-planning/coronavirus/esbc-services

https://www.tamworth.gov.uk/coronavirus-public-health-information

https://www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/Coronavirus

https://www.highpeak.gov.uk/article/4815/Derbyshire-business-emergency-relief-fund

Call the Business Helpline to find out how we can help your business. Call 0300 111 8002.