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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 for the latest Covid business advice. If you are not receiving this newsletter directly, please sign up to our regular email newsletter for the latest updates on business support.
If your business has been forced to close as a result of new national coronavirus restrictions introduced on 5th November 2020 then you may qualify for grant support funding. A full list of businesses required to close by law is available on the Government’s website.
There are now 2 schemes available to assist businesses forced to close depending on circumstances. Please see more details on the Malvern Hills schemes here.
To receive the LRSG funding, you must have been required to close by law and be liable for Business Rates.
Qualifying businesses will receive the following amounts based on the rateable value of your business premises:
- For properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, grants to be £1,334 per four weeks
- For properties with a rateable value of over £15,000 and below £51,000, grants to be £2,000 per four weeks
- For properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over grants to be £3,000 per four weeks
You may receive more than one grant if you have more than one qualifying business.
You will not qualify for funding if:
- You can continue to trade by law, but your business has been affected by the restrictions. (You may however qualify for Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary funding outlined below)
- If you have chosen to close but have not been required by law to do so
- If you are not liable to pay Business Rates. You may qualify for Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary funding outlined below
- If your business has already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State aid permitted under the de minimis and the Covid-19 Temporary State Aid Framework
The online application from is available here on the MHDC website
Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) is for businesses that have been forced to close but are unable to access the LRSG because they don’t have a separate business rates account or who haven’t been forced to close but are nonetheless severely impacted by the national government restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19.
The first round of ARG funding will only be available to businesses trading on the 4 November 2020 and not eligible for the LRSG. Businesses must meet these criteria and will be prioritised based on the following:
- The businesses importance to the economy as an employer
- They have been forced to close or can demonstrate a significant reduction in revenue due to lockdown restrictions on trade from November 4th.
The following types of businesses in the retail, hospitality, events and leisure sectors may be eligible for grants from this funding pot:
- Businesses with a Rateable Value involved in the supply chain to businesses that have been mandated to close by Government.
- Businesses without a Rateable Value involved in the supply chain to businesses that have been mandated to close by Government.
- Businesses without a Rateable Value that have been mandated to close by Government.
This initial funding round will provide grants of up to £3,000 (in line with the LRSG limits) per business.
The online application from is available here on the MHDC website.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was initially extended through November but following an announcement today by the chancellor will be extended to March 2021. Workers in any part of the UK can retain their job, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80% of their salary up to £2500 a month. The flexibility of the current CJRS will be retained to allow employees to continue to work where they can. Employers small or large, charitable or non-profit are eligible and because more businesses will need to close, they will now be asked to pay just National Insurance and Pensions contributions for their staff during the month of November – making this more generous than support currently on offer. The Job Support Scheme will not be introduced until after Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
In recognition of the continued impact that coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on the self-employed the income support scheme has been extended.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant extension provides support to the self-employed in the form of 2 further grants, each available for 3-month periods covering November 2020 to January 2021 and February 2021 to April 2021.
Further details are available here.
ARCOS exists to help improve life for children and adults who have communication and/or swallowing problems. The ARCOS Resource, Training and Therapy Centre is in the centre of Great Malvern and operates a nationwide outreach service. Each year, ARCOS provides advice and assistance to more than 250 individuals and their families. They provide speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services for those with physical, sensory and perceptual impairments caused by neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum disorders, dyspraxia, stroke, head injury, brain tumours and progressive diseases including Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease and Huntington’s Disease.
The unmet needs of families have increased due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; Many clients and their families are struggling with the effects of self-isolation, reduced care, physical exhaustion, psychological distress and anxiety. ARCOS is endeavouring to meet needs by adapting to provide online contact, therapy and support for clients, families and carers.
Kay Coombes – CEO & Clinical Director at ARCOS explains in this short video the difficulties that have arisen since the onset of Covid 19 and how they are working as a charity to overcome these.
ARCOS is deeply grateful for the generosity of donors, volunteers, local individuals and organisations who have already given support but if your business could help please visit their website here and pledge what you can in the knowledge it will be helping many children, adults and families in need.
BetaDen – Worcestershire’s commercial technology accelerator based at Malvern Hills Science Park - has opened applications for its fourth cohort of businesses
Early-stage technology businesses joining the nine-month accelerator will have access to a refreshed programme of support worth around £50,000, including 30 hours access to Worcestershire’s 5G test bed and guidance from industry partner Steatite, part of Solid State Plc.
The accelerator is focusing recruitment on businesses developing new and emerging technologies in the following key areas: 5G, Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Robotics. For further information, visit www.beta-den.com/apply-now
Watch the video about the application process.
The new Enterprising Worcestershire scheme has opened for applications. Grants of £1,000 - £15,000 are available for SME businesses which have been trading less than 36 months. The grants must be match funded and are only available to businesses which trade at least 70% business to business. The first round of grants opened for applications on 4th November and closes on 27th November. The first pre-start workshop has now been scheduled for 23rd November, to sign up click here.
Click here for more information on the Enterprising Worcestershire programme.
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.
At the monthly ScaleUp Club meetings you will gain knowledge through presentations and sharing through round table and breakout discussions. Your chance to ask advice and support from others and take away actions and ideas to implement into your business
Click here to register for the scale up club.
Malvern Hills District Council has launched a new campaign which encourages residents to support local businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The Reassuringly Local campaign shines a light on the many much-loved businesses across the district that are offering click-and-collect and delivery services during the current national restrictions. A list of businesses offering these services is available here.
The campaign will also highlight the measures put in place by local traders to ensure people can shop safely and with confidence when out in town centres. Malvern Hills District Council has received funding from the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (which is from the European Regional Development Fund) to support the safe reopening of high streets across the district.
As part of this, the council has developed an action plan focused on campaigns and activities such as installation of hand sanitisers and information signs to ensure high streets are open, safe and welcoming.
The council has also appointed a Town Centre Recovery Officer, Sophie Jackson, to oversee the delivery of this plan and to act as a key point of contact for high street traders.
As well as this, free parking will be on offer in Malvern Hills District Council car parks in the run up to Christmas Day. From 1 to 24 December, visitors will be able to park for free after 3pm in any of the council’s pay and display car parks. The offer is open to all vehicles except HGVs and motor homes.
If you own an independent retail business in Worcestershire, you’re invited to be a part of the Love Where You Live community – an online marketplace encouraging and enabling people to shop locally, sustainably and conveniently.
We LOVE where we live and we know you do too. Together, we can make a positive change - supporting our local economy, creating jobs, helping the environment and having some fun along the way!
You can find out more about joining and apply to sell at: https://www.lovewhere.co.uk
New grants have been made available to encourage young people across the Malvern Hills District to enrol in an apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship Bursary, funded by Malvern Hills District Council, offers apprentices the chance to claim:
- Maximum of £50 per month for up to 12 months for travel expenses
- One-off grant payment with a maximum value of £75 for clothing
- One-off grant payment with a maximum value of £100 for tools or equipment
The bursary is available to apprentices who live within the Malvern Hills District, receive at least a minimum wage salary, travel to or from a difficult to access location and can demonstrate the money will enable them to take up and complete their apprenticeship.
Chris Skilton, who is currently training for his Level 3 Infrastructure Technician course with LMPQ in Birmingham, said: "The bursary provided by Malvern Hills District Council has been an enormous help to me and my studies, allowing me to focus completely on my development without having to worry about the costs of travel. This year has provided many challenges, so having this peace of mind has been very reassuring".
To apply for the Apprenticeship Bursary and to find out more information. Please email Christine Butler, Economic Development Officer, at Christine.Butler@malvernhills.gov.uk or call 01684 862183.
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
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
Peer Networks is a national peer-to-peer networking programme for SME leaders that want to grow and develop their organisation for future success.
The government is setting up Peer Networks that will create diverse cohort groups of individuals to collaboratively work through common business issues. Through interactive action learning, we will enable you to discuss your own challenges, gain and reflect on valuable feedback and implement practical solutions to overcome them.
The support is FREE 18 hours of facilitated learning and FREE 3.5 hours one-to-one time with the facilitator (and or other third party that can assist a companies particular challenge). The activity will need to be completed by March 2021
Click here for more information.
The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year. Check the new rules from January 2021 and act now.
Click here to answer a few questions to get a personalised list of actions for you, your family, and your business. You can also sign up for emails to get updates when things change.
The Springboard Programme
Springboard is a work experience initiative aiming to match talented Business School students with local employers who need extra resource for business peaks, short projects or ongoing part-time work or volunteering. Students from all year groups including our recent graduates are eligible to apply for the opportunities which means there is availability all year round and at all levels to suit business need. Springboard Projects are highly flexible and can be work of any duration/hours/remuneration, recent graduates can work full time whilst our current students can work up to 20hrs per week. Simply provide job details and you will be provided with a shortlist of student CV’s to take forwards as per your usual recruitment processes.
The 12-month Undergraduate Placement/Sandwich Year
Second year business & computing students are eligible to take a year out in industry. Placements form part of their degree studies and must be at least 26 weeks fulltime, however due to recent events there is some flexibility around this. Recruitment for placement students tends to take place from September onwards, and students can start work anytime from May/June 2021. Placements are paid work, minimum wage+.
The 3-6 month Masters Internship Programme
This programme is specifically for Postgraduate students to gain work experience. Two cohorts look for 3-6 month full-time opportunities that start in either February 2021 or June/July 2021. These opportunities can be paid or voluntary but as with Springboard, paid or expenses-paid opportunities attract most candidates.
Further information is available here
The Chamber of Commerce are collecting their quarterly business information, but importantly this quarter they are also collecting business priorities for 2021. Please complete the survey for your business here.
Here 2 Help are hosting webinars in November about Cyber Security, Growth beyond Covid-19 and Marketing to Survive Covid-19. For more information and to sign up click here.
Here 2 Help - Worcestershire County Council Free Technology Consultancy
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WCC have set-up the Here 2 Help programme where expert advisers will offer flexible support in key areas to Worcestershire businesses to enable them to move forward and grow in the post-pandemic economy.
The cyber security team Cybx at borwell are providing the technology consultancy services for the Here 2 Help Programme. As well as the webinar on Cyber Security above the free technology consultancy includes –
1 Hour Advice Calls - Delivered through Zoom these will be 1-hour calls that you can book to ask a question you may have regarding your business’ technology. Alternatively, if you want some takeaway advice for your business from just a one-hour call, we can provide the below:
- IT Health Check
- Ask the Expert -Technology
Bespoke Technology for Business Consultancy - Bespoke, in-depth, one to one support directly linked to the strategic agenda of the business and to address more complex longer-term considerations which may require a shift in the business model and operations to build business resilience. Eligible Worcestershire Businesses may receive up to 6 days consultancy support in technology, at present this will be delivered remotely via Zoom.
Eligible applicants must be an SME, a limited company, a sole trader or partnership trading over 12 months and they must be in the following sectors: manufacturing (including science and medical, food and drink), information technology (cyber security, digital and creative), business and professional services, Agri-technology, construction or transport and logistics.
A new ‘Park That Bike’ scheme for Worcestershire businesses has been launched via www.parkthatbike.info providing free cycle racks.
The Park That Bike initiative provides a mechanism for local businesses to apply for funding to install cycle parking on their premises, to encourage utility cycling. Visit the website to see what is available to businesses in Worcestershire. As the current funding available within the scheme is limited, the intention is that WCC through its Active Travel funding will continue to work with partners to top up available funding over time so that all are able to benefit from this service.
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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