The Government has announced a range of business grants to be administered by local authorities. Most of the funding is aimed at businesses, with business rates liability, required by law to close by the national restrictions.

The guidance for administering these grants was shared with the Council at the end of last week and we are now working on the necessary systems to be able to pay these grants as soon as possible.

The Government has also provided councils with a one-off payment to support businesses in their areas, including those not supported by other grants. Again, the Council received guidance and confirmation of the amount Waltham Forest will receive last week and we are now working on proposals.

Announcements on eligibility for grants and how they can be obtained will be published as soon as possible in this newsletter.

Guidance on national restrictions

Employees formally asked to self-isolate through NHS Track & Track on or after 28 September 2020 could be eligible for a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment. Applicants must live in England and meet all the criteria.

Please read Government guidance on what businesses should do to ensure they comply with expected measures and ensure employees affected self-isolate.

Full details of entitlement and how it works

Guidance for food businesses has been provided by the Food Standards Agency to ensure public health requirements are met and that you continue to operate in a "Covid-safe" way.

Read the public health guidelines

Join experts from the Intellectual Property Office to discover the key changes to intellectual property, which businesses need to know for the end of the transition period as Britain prepares to leave the European Union.

The session will discuss areas of intellectual property law including:

• Changes to registration of EU trade marks and designs
• How parallel trade with the EU will change after 1 Jan 2021
• Changes to copyright licensing
• Operational changes to office processes for registration of trade marks, designs and patents after the end of the transition period

Date: Tuesday 17 November 2020

Time: 14:00 - 15:00

Register for the webinar

The Mayor of London wants to work with businesses to help deliver a green recovery from this pandemic and make London a zero carbon city.

London’s commercial and industrial buildings make up 36% of London’s carbon footprint so City Hall want to help businesses reduce energy consumption. This will lower the impact on the environment, save businesses money, and have a transformative effect on the capital.

A survey will help to understand the challenges businesses face when thinking about taking energy efficiency actions, and the kind of business support needed to help the most.

The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Deadline: 13 November

Complete the City Hall survey

As part of our month-long Digital Month programme, we have two brilliant webinars this week.

How digital marketing is the key to business success

Wednesday 11 November 12:00 – 13:00 

Details of this event

Register for this event 

How to build your own business website

Thursday 12 November 2020 13:00 – 14:00 

Details of this event

Register for this event

The final 30 businesses have been assessed and enrolled onto the Forge Fashion programme. This aims to support fashion and textile businesses in Waltham Forest to thrive sustainably during Covid recovery and beyond, through workshops, one-to-one advice and networking.

The final businesses come from a mix of new and existing businesses across the fields of fashion and textiles. Each participant will gain a better understanding of the strengths in their businesses, the chance to extend their network and create a bespoke action plan for sustainable growth.

See a list of the 30 participants

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.

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