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Allerdale and Copeland Borough Council's hosted the very first joint tourism breakfast briefing last Friday (12 February). The virtual event saw over 80 businesses attend as well as councillors from both sets of local authorities and MPs.
Welcomed by Councillors John Cooke and Steve Morgan, Allerdale's Policy Manager Alex Fitzgerald talked through the COVID-19 support grant process which applied for both councils. Tourism officers Joe Broomfield (Allerdale) and Katie Read (Copeland) went on to outline what each council has been doing to support the recovery of the tourism economy and what their plans are for the future.
These plans were then echoed in an update from Gill Haigh, Chief Executive of Cumbria Tourism and finished with Simon Sharp, Planning & Building Control Manager at Allerdale who explained a little about the permitted development rights and planning considerations for motorhome and campervan sites.
If you missed it, fear not, the meeting was recorded and now available to watch - click here.
The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme has been relaunched and is designed to help many of those businesses affected by the coronavirus restrictions that are not eligible under the other support packages that are available:
- If you received a grant under the first round of the ARG scheme in November/December 2020 then we will be contacting you direct to confirm a few details.
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PLEASE NOTE - If you haven't applied for this scheme before, or were unsuccessful in the first round, and think you are eligible for round 2, check the criteria and apply on our website
Our grants administration team are working very hard to ensure everyone gets the grant money they are entitled to, as quickly as possible. To make this process even smoother, please make sure you have all the documentation required before starting the application. Without this information and evidence we cannot accept your application first time.
Check out our dedicated grants page for more details: http://ow.ly/OIXh50DjMOt
Over the past few months we have been shouting about our plans to help set up three new business forums for Wigton, Workington and North Solway. Our aim is to get the ball rolling and offer £1000 worth of council funding to start and support the groups, whilst local businesses will take the lead and continue growing the forums.
The North Solway group's second meeting will be held on the 25th February and last week we had the initial meetings of the Wigton and Workington groups. We had a great turn out for both, but spaces are still very much open for anyone else who would like to take part.
These groups are a great opportunity to be have your say in things that affect your business community whilst collaborating with other business owners and wider organisations like the council.
If you are interested in joining, please contact either toni.magean@allerdale.gov.uk (Workington & Wigton) or joe.broomfield@allerdale.gov.uk (North Solway).
Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP), working with a wide range of partners, has submitted its bid for Cumbria to become one of the 10 new Freeports that government has committed to create across the UK.
The Heart of the UK Freeport Cumbria bid has been developed in partnership with three operators - Barrow Port, Carlisle Lake District Airport and the Port of Workington – and four Local Authorities - Allerdale Borough Council, Barrow Borough Council, Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council - making it a both multi-modal and multi-centre freeport.
Cllr Mike Johnson, Deputy Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said: “The Heart of the UK Freeport Cumbria bid offers a rare opportunity to stimulate economic growth whilst also contributing to the clean energy agenda.
“Portside land available at the Port of Workington and Barrow offers offshore wind companies a significant footprint for construction operations in the Irish Sea. Along with the established economic links between Allerdale and Carlisle, the bid is a fine example of Cumbria pulling together for the benefit of all.”
The SME Brexit Support Fund could give you up to £2,000 to help with training or professional advice, if your business has up to 500 employees and no more than £100 million annual turnover.
Although applications for this grant are not open yet, we will be updating you as soon as it is. Here is a breakdown of what the grant consists of:
What you’ll be able to use the grant for
You can use the grant for training on:
- how to complete customs declarations
- how to manage customs processes and use customs software and systems
- specific import and export related aspects including VAT, excise and rules of origin
It can be used to help you get professional advice so your business can meet its customs, excise, import VAT or safety and security declaration requirements.
Who will be able to apply
Your business must:
- be established in the UK
- have been established in the UK for at least 12 months before submitting the application, or currently hold Authorised Economic Operator status
- not have previously failed to meet its tax or customs obligations
- have no more than 500 employees
- have no more than £100 million turnover
- import or export goods between Great Britain and the EU, or moves goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Your business must also either:
- complete (or intend to complete) import or export declarations internally for its own goods
- use someone else to complete import or export declarations but requires additional capability internally to effectively import or export (such as advice on rules of origin or advice on dealing with a supply chain)
We will keep an eye out for any updates and let you know as soon as it opens.
If you import and export - we also found a useful list of key business transition actions and the relevant helpline. Click here to read more.
In Allerdale we have a wide range of businesses and educational facilities that offer apprenticeships, which are a great step into the world of work after school or if you fancy a career change.
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week we've been highlighting some of the amazing apprentices currently with the council on our social media platforms. The posts have featured officers like Emma who is currently working towards a degree apprenticeship at Northumbria University and is in her fourth year of a five-year programme. Or Andrea who has just started her level 3AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) with Lakes College.
And remember, there is no age limit to apprenticeships! You can start them at any time of life and are a great alternative if you are currently working or have other obligations but want to learn at that same time.
After requesting applications of interest a couple of weeks ago, we are happy to announce we are now seeking to appoint a kennelling service contractor to provide approved boarding/kennelling facilities for the detention of all stray dogs found in Allerdale Borough Council’s statutory area, in line with the specification detailed in the invitation to tender.
Further details are available upon registration of your interest to this invitation.
All further correspondence about this project must be directed through the notification link on The Chest.
Find out what happened when Silloth Food Bank volunteers explained to BBC Radio Cumbria about how much they were struggling to keep up with the lack of food and increase in demand over the last few months. They say kindness is contagious ... Click here to listen.
Check out how a father-of-three from Cockermouth made the most of lockdown by setting up the business he had always wanted. Originally a chef at the Gateway Inn, Kendal, Chris Johns or Pie Man as he is now known, started delivering his baked goods across West Cumbria in May 2020. Click here to read more.
- Check out the soon-to-be-published Cumbria Visitor Guide. We dont know about you but this makes us really excited to welcome visitors back to Cumbria :) Click here to read.
- Join the Napthens Brexit team alongside Corporate Partner Richard Robinson, Amy Brooke(Policy Adviser, EU Negotiations, CBI) and Rebecca Okuda (Head of Trade & Customs at KPMG) as they; Share insight on the future challenges and opportunities arising from Brexit, Put the spotlight on trade and customs, the supply chain and the practicalities of importing/exporting from the EU and take your questions on some of the legal implications for your business on commercial contracts, data protection and business immigration. Book a place here.
- Have you ever thought about the impact of sharing false information? In a time where people are desperate for news and will believe that information despite the source, make sure you are sharing factual, confirmed news. The Government have produced a SafeChecklist so you can doublecheck yourself before hitting 'post'. Click here to read.
- The Export Academy, from the Department for International Trade (DIT), gives small and
micro-businesses the know-how to sell to customers around the world with confidence. Be quick the first session starts tomorrow! Click here to register
- This webinar, delivered by Made Smarter UK & FSB, will focus on how manufacturers can use new technology to help your business thrive. Click here to register.
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