The Council recognises that Covid-19 is having an unprecedented impact on local business owners, who are concerned for their employees, customers and businesses.
We are keen to further understand these challenges, identify what mitigating measures have been put in place, assess what’s missing and gauge what support is needed post-lockdown.
To assist and inform the Council’s plans, we strongly urge business owners who haven’t already done so to complete our short Covid-19 Business Impact Survey, before it closes on the extended deadline of Monday 18 May 2020, at midnight.
|
This week the government produced guidance to help workplaces ensure they are as safe as possible.
These eight guides cover a range of different types of work, from offices to construction sites, and working in other people’s homes.
Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, so you may need to use more than one of these guides as you consider what you need to do to keep people safe.
|
The Chancellor has announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be extended by a further four months, with workers continuing to receive 80 per cent of their current salary until the end of October.
The scheme will continue for all sectors and, from the start of August, employers will be able to bring back furloughed workers on a part-time basis. Also from August, employers can expect to pay a percentage towards the salaries of their furloughed staff.
Full details of the Government’s plans are yet to be published.
|
The application process for the Government's Self employed Income Support Scheme opened this week.
The scheme provides a grant to the self-employed who pay themselves through PAYE, based on 80 per cent of average historical annual profits, up to £2,500 per month.
Those able to make a claim have already been contacted by HMRC and have been provided with instructions and a unique reference number to make their claim.
If you have not been contacted by HMRC and think you should be able to claim, you can check your eligibility and ask HMRC to review your case using the link below, which also contains full details of the scheme.
|
Last week the Government announced a five per cent top-up to the funding given to councils to administer small business grants. ‘Top-up Grants’ will support businesses that have experienced a significant drop in trade, with property costs and who are ineligible for other support.
The Government said councils would have discretion in who grants are awarded to while also stating that councils should prioritise businesses in shared workspaces.
We are waiting for full Government guidance and until then we are unable define how the scheme will be delivered in the Borough. We will announce details as soon as we are able.
|
The Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Office is currently gathering evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on premises-based, community arts organisations (charities) that are led by or primarily serving underrepresented groups.
They are working to map and register these organisations to ensure they can access support and to better understand the scale of the issues that they currently face, and their ability to access the Government relief programmes.
|
Yonder is a Blackhorse Lane based climbing centre, movement studio and workspace.
It has shown great resilience by taking some of the experiences it offers digital.
Online channels offer yoga classes and at-home training.
|
Magpie Fun and Games has been trading on Leyton High Road since February, but is already adjusting to the challenges of Covid-19 by delivering toys, games and art supplies to families across the borough, keeping them occupied while schools are closed
|
 In a bid to beat the economic slump caused by Covid-19, Waltham Forest Connected (WF Connected) has launched a free online directory of local businesses operating in the borough.
Created in partnership with Waltham Forest Council, the directory will help residents find everything they need locally at the click of a button, and help businesses link to each other at this crucial time. The directory will be promoted via the #shoplocalwf campaign on social media, and in Waltham Forest News which goes to 110,000 letterboxes across the borough
All businesses need to do is add their details and provide a small amount of information about the goods and services on offer.
 Book our core workshops, What next for my business idea? and Get ready for business, and our spectacular Marketing Masterclass, to get essential guidance for your start-up.
Check out the British Library’s Business Centre for a variety of free webinars aimed at helping entrepreneurs and businesses.
You can still make arrangements for 1:1s and business enquiries;
Join our local entrepreneur WhatsApp group to stay connected.
When joining, please state your name, business idea, and what support you’d like to get from the group.
|
Business owners in East London are invited to attend a webinar about getting up and running following the COVID-emergency.
The one-hour session takes place on Thursday 21 May 2020 at 2pm and will cover a range of topics including meeting new customer needs and maximising insight and digital.
All businesses who sign up will receive a summary of the advice provided after, including useful links to other organisations in East London who can help.
Local London has teamed up with Barking Enterprise Centre to deliver the webinar, which is free to attend.
|
Newable has developed an emergency nine-month programme with JP Morgan, named “Small Business Resilience”, focused solely on providing support for UK businesses during COVID-19.
The programme has two main focuses; to map and coordinate business support available in London and to guide SMES through the grant and other financial relief options and support them.
|
We will continue to update you as new information is available. We know that this is a fast-moving situation, but we are confident staff will continue to provide support and guidance to local businesses in Waltham Forest.
You can sign up to our email newsletter with up-to-date information about Covid-19 below.
|
|
