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Businesses with fewer than 50 staff can now apply for a coronavirus-related grant from the Local Authority Discretionary Fund.
We have reopened the grants with new criteria which will make more businesses eligible.
The first round of grants saw £215,000 issued to 47 eligible businesses.
The total amount still available through the grant fund is £645,250.
The changes to the criteria are:
- The maximum rateable value of sole occupancy businesses has been raised to £65,000
- Businesses that occupy part of a property (such as shared offices or flexible workspaces) will need to evidence paying annual rent or mortgage payments below £51,000, rather than eligibility being linked to the total value of the property.
- Pubs and nurseries have been added to the priority list.
Applications for this round of grants will close at midnight on Sunday 19 July.
To apply for the second round of grants and see the detailed criteria, visit: www.havant.gov.uk/discretionary-grant-scheme
Many businesses have now reopened across the UK, but those that are allowed to open and need further advice and guidance can visit our webpage for links to sector-specific advice and other useful information.
Go to: www.havant.gov.uk/reopening
It is important that reopening businesses check water supplies as pubs, restaurants, hotels and more shops reopen their doors to the public.
With many taps, showers and toilets having not been used during the lockdown period, the company is asking them to make sure their water supplies are in good working order.
The Southern Water website's COVID-19 section has information on protecting water hygiene, tips for food outlets and advice on disposing of spent beer and cider for pubs, clubs and other venues.
Visit the Southern Water website.
Businesses and organisations are being asked to collect contact details of their visitors as their venues reopen.
The records will help NHS Test and Trace to reach anyone who may at a later date be found to have potentially been in contact with a positive coronavirus case whilst at a particular venue, helping to quickly contact people at risk of the virus and prevent localised outbreaks before they occur.
The details visitors share must be stored securely and handled in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They will only be shared, if asked, with the NHS Test and Trace service to manage local coronavirus outbreaks if they occur.
While the government continues to encourage everyone to play their part to curb the virus, if a member of the public does not wish to share their contact details, it is not mandatory.
The Department of Health and Social Care has published guidelines setting out the steps that pubs, restaurants, cinemas and similar venues can all take to support the nation NHS Test and Trace service.
For guidance on collecting and holding visitor information, go to the GOV.UK website.
From 1 July, only employees that employers have successfully claimed a previous grant for will be eligible for further grants under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
This means they must have previously been furloughed for at least three consecutive weeks taking place any time between 1 March 2020 and 30 June. The last day an employee could have started furlough for the first time was 10 June 2020.
Employees can now be ‘flexibly furloughed’ meaning you can bring employees who are currently furloughed back to work for any amount of time, and any work pattern.
For more guidance on the scheme, visit the GOV.UK website.
Visit England has introduced a new 'Good to Go' charter within the tourism industry, which will give you an extra layer of confidence when making a booking.
This new charter is a UK-wide industry standard, introduced to provide a ‘ring of confidence’ for visitors.
To apply for your business visit: goodtogo.visitbritain.com
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