A full range of business support measures have been made available to UK businesses and employees.
Follow the links to see the latest updates from Government, find financial support for your business and click here if you are self employed.
The Government has set up a business support helpline on 0300 456 3565. This is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Visit the Malvern Hills website to sign up for the latest updates on business support and our regular email newsletter.
The UK Government's Job Support Scheme (JSS) is being further expanded to support businesses across the UK that are impacted by coronavirus restrictions.
When originally announced, the JSS - which will come into effect on 1 November - saw employers paying a third of their employees' wages for hours not worked and required employees to be working 33% of their normal hours. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has today announced that the employer contribution to those unworked hours will reduce to 5%, and reduces the minimum hours requirements to 20%, so those working just one day a week will be eligible. See details here
In addition to expansion of the JSS, the Government is increasing the cash grants to businesses in England that are shut in local lockdowns, to help with fixed costs. The Chancellor has announced approved additional funding to support cash grants of up to £2,100 per month primarily for businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sector who may be adversely impacted by the restrictions in high-alert level areas.
These grants will be available retrospectively for areas that have already been subject to restrictions and come on top of higher levels of additional business support for local authorities moving into Tier 3.
These measures will continue to sit alongside the £1,000 Job Retention Bonus (JRB), which encourages employers to keep staff on payroll.
The JSS scheme, which is UK wide, will begin on 1 November 2020 and will be available for six months, with a review point in January 2021.
The government have also put together a factsheet that explains what is covered by the grant, which employers and employees are eligible, and how to claim.
Click here to view the factsheet.
The amount of profits covered by the two forthcoming self-employed grants will increase from 20% to 40%, meaning the maximum grant will increase from £1,875 to £3,750.
Additional funding has also been announced to support cash grants of up to £2,100 per month primarily for businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sector who may be adversely impacted by the restrictions in high-alert level areas.
These grants will be available retrospectively for areas who have already been subject to restrictions and come on top of higher levels of additional business support for Local Authorities moving into Local Alert Level very high (tier 3).
On 12 October, the Prime Minister made a statement to the House of Commons.
The announcement sets out how the Government plans to standardise and simplify local lockdown measures, by introducing a three tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England - set at medium, high, and very high. Malvern Hills District and Worcestershire are currently at Medium alert level.
You can view the areas in England listed as local COVID alert level high and local COVID alert level very high and the postcode checker on GOV.UK.
Please see below for more details and guidance on each alert level, further updates to the Job Support Scheme and other recent government updates.
Covering most of the country - this will consist of the current national measures, which came into force on 25 September. For areas where national restrictions continue to be in place, this means:
- All businesses and venues can continue to operate in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law, such as nightclubs.
- Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to close between 10pm and 5am.
- Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-thru.
- Schools, universities and places of worship remain open.
- Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees.
- Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take place, provided the Rule of Six is followed.
- People must not meet in groups larger than six, indoors or outdoors.
See the guidance and restrictions for areas where the Local COVID Alert level is Medium.
This is for areas with a higher level of infections. The “high” alert level will reflect many current local interventions, but there will now be consistency across the country. This means the following additional measures are in place:
- People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
- People must not meet in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other space.
- People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.
Most areas which are already subject to local restrictions will automatically move into the “high” alert level. As a result of rising infection rates Nottinghamshire, East and West Cheshire and a small area of High Peak will also move into the “high” alert level.
See the guidance and restrictions for areas where the Local COVID Alert level is High.
This is for areas with a very high level of infections. The Government will set a baseline of measures for any area in this local alert level. Consultation with local authorities will determine additional measures.
The baseline means the below additional measures are in place:
- Pubs and bars must close, and can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant - which means serving substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal. They may only serve alcohol as part of such a meal.
- Wedding receptions are not allowed.
- People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor or outdoor setting, whether at home or in a public space. The Rule of Six applies in open public spaces like parks and beaches.
- People should try to avoid travelling outside the ‘Very High’ area they are in, or entering a ‘Very High’ area, other than for things like work, education, accessing youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if they are in transit.
- People should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if they are resident in a ‘Very High’ area, or avoid staying overnight in a ‘Very High’ area if they are resident elsewhere.
See the guidance and restrictions for areas where the Local COVID Alert level is Very High.
High street traders are invited to take part in this year’s festive shop window dressing competition with a twist. New for this year we are creating a children’s trail using participating shop windows to encourage local shoppers onto the high streets.
We will be providing a letter to display in the shop window forming part of a Christmas word/phrase that children will be searching for on their trail.
There will be an additional award this year which will be judged by the public.
If you have a shop front in Great Malvern, Barnards Green, Malvern Link, Upton or Tenbury, then please sign up here by Sunday 1 November.
The outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent global pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the labour market and on employment.
The unprecedented national lockdown and subsequent suspension in economic activity saw government introduce a wage subsidy scheme to prop up businesses and protect jobs, in the absence of market demand and many ‘business as usual’ products and services.
The Chamber is keen to understand the impact of COVID-19 on employment and more specifically how businesses expect their workforce to change in the coming months.
The Employment Survey report produced will allow businesses to benchmark their response to COVID-19 and identify the courses of action taken by other businesses to manage this crisis. The report will form a useful evidence base for informed decision making in the coming months, particularly for HR professionals formulating employment strategies.
The latest national statistics paint an increasingly concerning picture. Although the unemployment rate has only risen slightly to 4.1%, the highest increase in redundancy numbers since 2009 were recorded between May and July. With an estimated 5 million people still temporarily away from work in July, including furloughed workers, the unemployment figure is likely to rise as the Job Retention Scheme is phased out. On a local level, the results from the Chamber’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey suggest that 1 in 4 businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire decreased their workforce in the last 3 months.
To take part in the Chamber’s survey and gain access to the subsequent report visit: www.surveymonkey.com/r/EmploymentSurvey2020
Worcestershire County Council is working with Worcestershire LEP to help the region’s economy to recover from the financial effects of Covid 19, and support young people to gain employment opportunities by funding a pot of £250k for apprenticeships training.
Employers should be –
- Based in Worcestershire serving Worcestershire residents
- Paying Worcestershire Council Tax/business rates
- Organisations whose application aligns and supports Worcestershire’s Growth agenda, as per the LEP’s Strategic Economic Plan
- Using a Worcestershire Based Training Provider when delivering the apprenticeship programme
Email the team at Worcestershire County Council Apprenticeships Service for more information on how we can help you to fund your apprentices apprenticeshipsteam@worcestershire.gov.uk
In such uncertain times, many businesses have delayed investing in new staff who could help drive their business forward. In turn, this has left Worcestershire graduates facing considerable challenges in finding rewarding opportunities to kick start their careers.
The Here2Help Business programme, run by Worcestershire County Council, aims to support eligible SMEs to recruit a local Graduate into a professional role by providing a graduate grant.
The Graduate Development Grant offers businesses access to the skills they need, whilst also providing graduates with high quality career opportunities. The grant provides up to 50% of a Graduate salary for a one-year period, to a maximum of £10,000, which is paid retrospectively on a quarterly basis.
More details are available here
To celebrate the success of the Worcestershire LEP's first Virtual Conference, Chief Executive Gary Woodman has provided a brief summary video of what was discussed in the 5 day programme last week.
Within this video, all 6 of Worcestershire's MPs joined to share their thoughts on what the big achievements have been in the last 12 months and what they are looking forward too.
During the week the WLEP have been collecting feedback through polls and questions and one of the key pieces of feedback is that viewers were unable to join for the lunchtime features.
All the morning Espresso updates are now available on the Worcestershire LEP website and YouTube Channel for viewers to watch again, alongside this each of the feature episodes will be made available on-demand to be watched at a time to suit over the coming weeks.
For more information or help finding the Virtual Conference material, please contact the team by emailing enquiries@wlep.co.uk.
The Government has recently launched its Green Homes Grant scheme to help households across the country fund energy-saving measures to their homes.
Residents and landlords can claim vouchers from the scheme to fund two thirds of the cost of a range of improvements, from insulation to heat pumps. Vouchers have a maximum value of £5,000 or £10,000, depending on someone’s income.
Your business could benefit from this scheme as people will be searching now for installers.
To take part in the scheme you must:
- Be a TrustMark registered business
- Certified to install energy efficiency measures
- Register to take part in the scheme
All work must be completed by 31 March 2021. Most installers will receive the grant payment in as little as five working days of the work being completed and the installer confirming they have been paid any customer contribution.
You can find out more about how to take part in the scheme by visiting www.malvernhills.gov.uk/energy and selecting ‘advice for installers’.
If you aren’t already a TrustMark registered business, then find out how to join at www.trustmark.org.uk/ .
If you would like to discuss this opportunity further then in the first instance please contact Christine Butler in the Economic Development Team at Malvern Hills District Council on 01684 862183 or email Christine.butler@malvernhills.gov.uk .
You can use the Kickstart Scheme to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The placements should support participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme.
Funding is available for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. There is also £1,500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.
For organisations with fewer than 30 posts they must apply through a “representative organisation” and our main representative organisation is Worcester County Council, now an approved Kickstart portal.
Referrals to them are made via Worcestershire Business Central info@business-central.co.uk or T 01905 677888
Are you looking for a group of business owners where you can Meet, Share, Collaborate and Learn together?
BizSmart has been supporting hundreds of local business owners navigate key business challenges and who are excited about growing and scaling up their business. Scale Up Club is for business owners who are excited about taking the next step in business growth and are looking for support to help them on that journey by learning from others on how to be successful.
At the monthly ScaleUp Club meetings you will gain knowledge through our presentations and sharing through our round table, breakout discussions.
Your chance to ask advice and support from others and take away actions and ideas to implement into your business.
Click here for more information or to register to attend.
Are you a future-thinking Worcestershire business passionate about innovating and creating?
Why not learn more from cutting-edge innovators and subject specialists about how
these ideas can work in your business? The WINN Innovation Launch Pad is your
mission, should you choose to accept it.
Dates:
9:15 – 13:15 each day
2nd/3rd November 2020
16th/17th November 2020
7th/8th December 2020
https://winn-hub.com/innovationlaunchpad/
BetaDen are bringing together the tech community one last time in 2020 for our last instalment of this year’s Tech Tuesdays on Tuesday, 3 November 2020 at 12:00 – 13:00
Join BetaDen, Ericsson and Worcestershire 5G as we discuss the future of manufacturing with 5G. Andy McKenzie, Worcestershire 5G Testbed Project Director will be joined by Ericsson Project Managers Simon Evans and Noel Dias and take us through:
1.What is 5G?
2.Private vs Public Network
3.Industry 4.0 and why we need the 5G network in manufacturing
4.A developing standard – What is to come?
5.Open Q&A
Register to join here
The ED team wants to fully understand the impact of the Coronavirus on specific businesses and the wider economy.
This will help us tailor our service to you and feedback to Government to help shape their ongoing response.
If you would like to talk one-to-one with a member of the ED team about your business experience and effects of Covid-19, please email us with your contact details ecodev@malvernhills.gov.uk
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