Financial support through business grants are available for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions. We appreciate how crucial these grants are to businesses and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that you receive these as soon as is practicable.
In addition to Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) payments, the Government has announced the Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment, which provides a one-off top up grant for all businesses legally required to close during national restrictions.
If your business has successfully claimed a Localised Restrictions Grant (Closed) for any of the periods below then you will also be awarded a one-off Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment. If you have already submitted a successful claim for a Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed), your one-off Closed Businesses Lockdown Payment will be made automatically, you do not need to submit a separate claim.
This is a one off grant and the amounts in the following table are fixed.
Business rateable value one off grant amount:
|
Business rateable value
|
One off grant amount
|
|
Up to £15,000
|
£4000
|
|
From £15,001 to £50,999
|
£6000
|
|
From £51,000 and above
|
£9000
|
The three grant scheme applications that are open are as follows:
Localised Restrictions Grant (Closed businesses) : In response to the Coronavirus the Government has announced that businesses losing income as a result of regulations imposed by central government may be eligible for support.
Additional Restrictions Discretionary Grant: for businesses who have been able to trade, but have been severely affected by national restrictions, regardless of whether they pay business rates or not.
Essex Business Adaptation Grant: for businesses to adapt their premises and operations so that they can continue to operate and generate an income despite restrictions.
We understand the various grants can be confusing. If you are unsure on what financial support you or your business are eligible for, please contact our Business Hub by emailing coronavirusbusiness@basildon.gov.uk
Haven Gateway Partnership are excited to announce the launch of I-Construct – an ERDF-funded programme helping SMEs access opportunities in the construction market, and develop new products and services.
I-Construct is a supply chain development and innovation support project designed to help local companies access opportunities in the construction market and develop new products and services within their businesses. It introduces companies to new ways of doing business, offering expertise and influence in areas as diverse as offsite construction, renewable energy, digital technology, zero-carbon targets, business development strategy, robotics, and more.
How could your company benefit from the I-Construct programme?
If you are either an SME working in or supplying to the construction and built environment sector, or from a different sector and wanting to bring new technologies, products or techniques into the industry, then I-Construct is here to help.
There are three key strands of support available; network, business development support and grant funding. Through I-Construct, there is the opportunity to apply for a grant of between £1,000 and £20,000 to part-fund the development and launch of a new product or service. The company will be required to provide 70% of the funding for a project, but the remaining 30% will be supported through a grant from I-Construct that does not need to be repaid.
Testing if you don't have symptoms
You may be unaware you have coronavirus if you are showing no symptoms. And you could, unknowingly, be passing it on to family, friends and colleagues. The more of us that get tested, the quicker we can stop the spread.
A lateral flow test (LFT) allows people who have no symptoms to find out if they are infected. It's a rapid test, and you can get a result within 20-30 minutes.
Currently, residents of Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Epping Forest, Harlow, Rochford and Tendring, who do not have symptoms, can book a test online.
Tests are by appointment only.
|
Testing if you have symptoms
If you have coronavirus symptoms, get a test as soon as possible.
Book a visit to a test site, test sites are open 7 days a week. Or you can order a home test kit if you cannot get to a test site.
If you’re getting a test because you have symptoms, you and anyone you live with must self-isolate until you get your result.
|
 A new programme of training workshops and mentoring support for new and well established businesses will begin at the start of February.
The programme is accessible to businesses located in the local authority areas of Essex and is designed to enable you to benefit from a 12 hour package of FREE support consisting of; information, diagnosis, brokerage, training workshops and individual mentoring delivered by proven experts in their topics.
Businesses have undoubtedly been impacted by Covid19 so the key priority is to target those most in need of help to pivot their business for the future.
Benefit from the range of online, live and interactive workshops delivered by industry experts - leading onto one-to-one business mentoring.
The first workshops will be delivered from early February and will be run initially as a pilot programme to be refined in the light of experience and emerging business needs.
The current topics include:
- Getting your business online
- Making the most of social media
- Getting your business finances in order
- Adapting your products/processes to meet the needs of your customers
The Federation of Small Businesses have organised a national webinar with an expert panel to take your questions, comments and suggestions.
These could be on EORI number problems, trading and moving goods in and out of Northern Ireland, information for declarations, paying import duty and VAT, storage of goods etc. – the list is almost endless.
Join the Q&A session hosted by Rosemary French OBE, Executive Director of Gatwick Diamond Initiative. The expert panellists include:
- Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP and Secretary of State for BEIS
- Professor Anand Menon, The UK in a Changing Europe
- Joe Mayes, UK Government Brexit Reporter, Bloomberg News
- James Sibley, FSB Head of International Affairs
- Alex Doisneau, Managing Director, Dnata
 Over Christmas, The Mayor’s Charity Appeal Trust launched the ‘Keep the lights on’ appeal to raise funds in support of our borough’s casual workers, in a period where they have missed out on working due to coronavirus restrictions.
Normally they would be in the busiest time of their year, doing extra shifts and gaining festive tips, but instead they are unable to work or gain access to financial support from the government.
When launching the appeal, Basildon was under Tier 4 restrictions, and with the country now in a national lockdown, the future for casual workers within the hospitality remains uncertain, and the need for them to be supported increases.
Thank you to those of you who have been able to donate so far. Let’s continue to pull together and show our support for our casual workers, to help them to prosper in 2021.
|
