Additional funding for Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism businesses
The Welsh Government has today announced a further £30 million for hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses affected by ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
It has also confirmed that pending the outcome of the next review on 12 March, a further £150 million in grants could be made available to firms, including micro businesses, through the Welsh Government’s Non Domestic Rates (NDR) scheme if coronavirus restrictions are extended.
The latest round of the Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund will see £30m of targeted support being made available to support small, medium and large businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well as related supply chain businesses.
The funding is targeted to businesses employing ten or more staff in recognition of the relatively higher level of operating costs that these businesses face.
However, should restrictions be extended at the 12 March review, the £150m that will be made available would see businesses in the hospitality, tourism, leisure and non-essential retail sectors that pay non-domestic rates receiving an additional payment of up to £5k regardless of the number of employees they have.
From today, businesses in the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors can access the Eligibility Checker and calculator on the Business Wales website to help them work out what support they can expect to qualify for in this latest round and to understand the detail they will need to make an application. The Sector Specific Grant application phase 2 window opens Tues 9 March 2021 until 8pm on Friday 12 March 2021.
Minister for the Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said:
“This last year has been incredibly difficult for everyone and we are aware of the significant challenges facing our fantastic hospitality, tourism and leisure sector.
“The focus of this latest £30m round of funding is to target further support at the small, medium and large businesses in these sectors with the specific aim of protecting as many jobs as possible.
“The Welsh Government’s support to businesses throughout the pandemic has been the most generous anywhere in the UK and I am pleased that we have been able to get over £1.9bn directly into the bank accounts of our businesses.
“With restrictions likely to continue for a little while longer we are actively reviewing our options for providing further support. I am pleased to confirm that we have now made provision for a further £150m of support for businesses paying non-domestic rates should restrictions be extended at the next coronavirus review on 12 March which would include support for micro businesses.”
Minister for Finance, Rebecca Evans, said:
“The pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors and the people it employs.
“This new fund, and our provision of additional funding should restrictions be extended, responds to the latest phase of the pandemic and signifies our continued commitment to the sector, helping them to survive the toughest of times until they are in a position to safely reopen their doors again.”
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality (UKH) welcomed the latest Welsh Government grants package for the industry:
“Welsh Government has again listened directly to our constructive proposals for more vital support and the new money will play a leading part in continuing to save local jobs and local businesses until March 31 in communities right across Wales while lockdown persists.”
Guidance for Tourism and Hospitality Businesses
As we look towards a phased re-opening, you need to be aware of the guidance for Tourism and Hospitality businesses.
To help you decide which actions to take, Coronavirus Regulations require you to carry out a specific COVID-19 risk assessment, just as you would for other health and safety-related hazards. This risk assessment must be done in consultation with staff and representatives (recognised trade union or a representative chosen by workers) and be made available to staff.
HSE (Health & Safety Executive) provides useful templates to help you undertake a specific COVID-19 risk assessment that will take you through the hierarchy of controls from the most to the least effective. An overview of the hierarchy of controls can be found in Appendix 1 of the Tourism and Hospitality Guidance. You will also find links within the Welsh Government guidance to sector-specific and industry guidance containing further detail including the UKH Cymru Guidance.
Welsh Government backs business in new campaign
Welsh Government has launched a new campaign to promote the important support available to businesses to help them deal with the continued pressures of coronavirus and plan for a brighter future.
The ‘We’re in Your Corner’ campaign will encourage firms the length and breadth of Wales to take advantage of the skills and employment advice and guidance that is on offer through the Skills Gateway for Business online portal.
A range of support is available such as assistance with developing the capabilities of staff to advice with recruitment and training programmes. This will help businesses move forward through the coronavirus pandemic and thrive in the future.
To find out more about the programmes on offer, call Skills Gateway for Business on 0300 060 3000 or visit the Business Wales Skills Gateway.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
£680m COVID cash boost for Wales
Wales’ public services will receive a cash boost of more than £682m to support their COVID efforts over the coming months, the First Minister has announced.
The package includes more than £635m for the NHS and local councils to help them support the people of Wales over the next six months.
In addition, we are strengthening support for apprenticeships, which are a crucial part of our economy with an extra £16.5m investment and providing a further £18.6m to maintain vital public transport provision.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Useful COVID-19 information
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance. This continues to be updated so please check back regularly for the latest information.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
We are committed to providing the support and assurance the business community needs during these unprecedented difficult times and have issued several Coronavirus (COVID-19) related bulletins which can be found on the Tourism Industry Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bulletins page.
Business Wales is providing businesses with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. We would advise Tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales wanting specific guidance to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000, and to regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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