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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 on working safely here and find financial support for your business.
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.
Keep up to date with the restrictions the Government has put in place to slow the spread of the new Omicron variant. And don't forget to get boosted. See how you can continue to work safely here: Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) - Guidance
The Government has made more support available to businesses affected by the Omicron variant. The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is for businesses on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) ratings list only. This will support hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses with one-off grants of up to £6,000.
How much you receive will depend on the rateable value of your premises according to the VOA.
- If your premises had a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under on 30 December 2021 you will receive a grant of £2,667.
- If your premises had a rateable value of more than £15,000 and less than £51,000 on 30 December 2021 you will receive a grant of £4,000.
- If your premises had a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or over on 30 December 2021 you will receive a grant of £6,000.
The grant is aimed at supporting businesses offering in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors.
The Additional Restriction Grant (ARG) 2022 is a one-off grant councils can use to support businesses from all sectors severely impacted by the impact of coronavirus restrictions or the Omicron variant. This includes businesses outside of the Business Rates system. We have been given £183,000 by the Government to fund this scheme. We expect demand for support to be high and unfortunately it is unlikely we will be able to support every business that applies.
If you have a business rates account and you are in the hospitality and leisure sectors you may qualify for the main Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant. Please check before applying for the ARG.
Grants of between £500 and £6,000 will be given to qualifying businesses. The amount given will depend on the size of the business and the impact coronavirus restrictions has had.
The closing date for applications is 11:59pm on 14 February 2022.
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Ian Edwards has now joined us as the new Director of Economy and Environment replacing Phil Merrick who retired last year. A long standing resident of South Worcestershire, Ian has been involved with economic development, tourism and regeneration in the public and private sectors for over 30 years and has previously worked with Malvern Hills as Deputy Chief Executive of Worcestershire LEP and prior to that with Advantage West Midlands.
Ian can be contacted at ian.edwards@malvernhills.gov.uk
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Are you planning to recruit, train, change or expand your business?
We want to know more about any issues you have so we can provide support. Let us know by taking part in our survey before 31 January 2022. You will be entered into a £1,000 prize draw. This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.
MHDC are pleased to be supporting Malvern Hills Car Club launch a small fleet of electric bicycles to support individuals access to work and training, particularly in rural locations.
There are a limited number of electric bicycles available now and the priority is to support apprentices overcome any transport barriers they may have. There is a small loan charge of £15 a week and the scheme is open to MHDC residents struggling with access to education, training or employment in the Malvern Hills District. For apprentices the cost of the bike could be claimed back using the CRF Upskilling Bursary.
If you or someone at your workplace might be interested in an e-bike loan in the first instance please contact Robin Coates at Malvern Hills Car Club by email: robincoatesgm2@gmail.com
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MHDC’s Economic Development Team is working in partnership with the Worcestershire Growth Hub to deliver a range of business engagement visits and events across the district, focussing on rural businesses. This is a great opportunity for businesses to find out about the support and funding that’s available, to let us know about any specific challenges you are facing or requirements that would help you innovate and grow, and to discuss how we can help support you to deliver your future development plans.
Over the coming months the Worcestershire Growth Hub will be visiting rural businesses across the district in person and will also be hosting engagement events at strategic locations, further details to follow. We would encourage businesses to make the most of this opportunity, if you would like to make sure your business is included in these visits then please contact Joel Keller to register your interest: joel.keller@malvernhills.gov.uk
Calling all Malvern Hills businesses: it's your time to shine! HW Chamber of Commerce has opened applications for its prestigious business awards. With categories from Excellence in Innovation to Micro Business of the year opportunities that come alongside entering an award are invaluable, including a great boost to staff morale and a powerful tool to raise your profile against competitors. Get your entries in by 4pm on 25 March 2022 and join the black tie awards ceremony on 7 July 2022 at the Worcester Arena.
It becomes mandatory for VAT registered businesses to register for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT from 1 April this year. This is part of the overall move to digital tax returns in the UK and is designed to make doing your taxes quicker and more accurate. Please click this link for the full steps you need to take.
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Worcestershire manufacturing companies are launching a new campaign striving to elevate Worcestershire’s position and recognition as a known area for quality manufacturing.
The Make It Worcestershire campaign for 2022, which launched at Worcester Bosch, shines a light on the thriving manufacturing sector in the county, as well as looking forward at how to keep it growing.
This is the third phase of the successful wider Make It Worcestershire campaign that has previously focused on supporting local producers and growers by encouraging residents to Buy, Eat, Sell and Stay local.
Read the full story here. Or click here to read more about Make it Worcestershire.
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Get your business ready to welcome guests to Birmingham and the West Midlands for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and beyond.
FREE online training for your staff will be available. The new programme will be launched soon, find out more about it here.
MHDC and WDC has recently gained funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund. This means there is more grant money available for businesses who take on apprentices and trainees. So, the Council can offer you, if you are an employer with fewer than 250 staff, up to £2000 for each new apprentice or other trainee of any age, whether previously on the company pay role or not. The main requirement is that your apprentice must have started their training after 1st April 2021 and be currently enrolled on their course. The scheme is open for applications from now until March 31 2022.
Click here to apply for the grant.
With our new Apprentice and Trainee Support Grants we are giving new apprentices and trainees £500. They can also get help with the cost of travel, equipment and other costs related to their training up to a maximum of £1,000. This project is also funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund.
To qualify for the payments they need to:
• live in the Malvern Hills or Wychavon postcode areas.
• be a new apprentice or trainee of any age.
• earn less than £15,000 a year.
• claim for the funding themselves and have their employers support.
• complete the first three months of their apprenticeship/training (this only applies to the £500 incentive bonus)
The deadline for application for these payments is also 31 March 2022.
For full terms and conditions and to apply please visit our website.
To find out more about the Upskilling Project as a whole, please visit our website:
The aim of the scheme is to support growing businesses based in Malvern Hills district and enable them to make a step change in their development. Growing businesses that have been trading for at least 3 years can apply for a grant of up to £2,500 which must be match-funded, pound for pound (at least), from the business’s own resources. Only capital expenditure on an approved project/investment is eligible.
The scheme is aimed at businesses that are not able to receive support through other European funded schemes (these typically support businesses that predominantly trade with other businesses).
Only businesses which show specific promise and clearly demonstrate how the award will make a measurable difference will be recommended for the grant.
Funding is limited, applications that demonstrate one or more of the following will be prioritised:
- Job creation
- Premises expansion
- Farm diversification
- The applicant business is a rural enterprise
- The applicant business operates in the low carbon economy
- The grant will be used towards expenditure that supports the business’ environmental sustainability
Worcestershire County Council is offering a package of support to help your tourism business grow in 2022. Fully funded by Worcestershire County Council and delivered by View from the Hill Consultancy, the support combines match funded grants up to £15,000, with specialist consultancy support.
Each business can receive up to three, one-hour individual support sessions to be booked at a time convenient to you, to help you with your planning and writing a successful grant application.
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BetaDen is inviting local businesses to see the product of its latest cohort of eight entrepreneurs who have completed the nine month technology accelerator programme. BetaDen also encourages anyone interested in joining cohort 4.0 to join the showcase.
The live stream will showcase innovation in action through seven-minute pitches for all eight entrepreneurs. They will be promoting future global emerging technology products and solutions for industry supply chains followed by a live and interactive Q&A at the end of the presentations.
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The Sustainability Forum is a series of free events open to businesses aimed at helping them draw upon good practice from industry experts and local businesses to help promote sustainable business practices and resource efficiency. Topics of discussion include heat pumps and sustainable energy bill saving advice. Member and non-member businesses are welcome. |
The Food and Drink Forum aims to promote the region’s food and drink produce, champion policies that benefit food and drink producers, capitalise on business opportunities and optimise funding, innovation and knowledge transfer. Speakers include Stefania Bennett, Owner at Bennetts Willow Barn and Peter Jelf, founder of Visicon.
Join this webinar which aims to demystify technology and identify the right solutions for your business. The right use of digital technology can help your business with sales, remote working, finding and keeping customers and the ability to compete with larger firms. Hear also from business growth and scale up expert Colin Bell.
Reserve your place by emailing: EBrown4@worcestershire.gov.uk
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