On Wednesday 2 December the period of national restrictions will end and the Government has announced that London will then enter into new Tier 2 Restrictions.

Businesses and venues can operate, other than those which remain closed by law (e.g. nightclubs).

Some businesses will have to operate under restrictions with pubs and bars unable to open, unless operating as a restaurant; and all hospitality settings must provide table service, must close between 11pm and 5am and stop taking orders at 10pm (unless through delivery or collection service).

Leisure and sports facilities will be permitted to open, as will essential and non-essential retail; personal care and close contact services. All businesses and venues that are open are expected to follow COVID-19 secure guidelines.

Details of the new restrictions

Local Restriction Support Grants of up to £3,000 are now open for applications.

There are three grants available to certain businesses that:

• are required to close during the period of national restrictions (5 Nov to 2 Dec);
• did not have to close but were severely affected by the local tier 2 restrictions (17 Oct to 4 Nov);
• were required to close from 23 March and have been told to remain closed (e.g. nightclubs). In-line with Government guidance, these payments will cover only the period 1 Nov to 4 Nov.

These grants will be based on the rateable value of the business’s premises and a business may be eligible for each premises in which they operate.

Currently there are no grants available for businesses not liable for business rates. Any new grants will be announced in this newsletter.

Full details of these grants can be found at this link

As well as grants currently available for the period of national restrictions, the Council has also been allocated a business recovery package, the Additional Restrictions Grant, to help with the survival and restart of local businesses.

To help us determine how this package will best be used, we want to hear from local businesses and so we have set up a survey and will be hosting a hugely important Local Business Recovery Summit on Wednesday 2 December at 8.30am.

This is an opportunity to have your voice heard on critical rebuilding plans for the local economy. Please find full details of the summit and a link to register below. Once you have registered, you will be sent a link to the meeting the day before the event.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Sign up for the Local Business Recovery Summit

Take the business recovery survey