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Special Business News Bulletin

We are bringing you this special update to provide information on the latest National Restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic and support available for businesses. 

Guidance on new national restrictions

New national restrictions are now in force until the 2nd of December to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. 

It is now a legal requirement that certain businesses close or restrict their operations. These include: non-essential retail; hospitality; accommodation; leisure; entertainment; personal care and community centres. 

Certain activities remain permissible depending on the business, such as training, click and collect or drive-through; details can be found here.  

The majority of public services will remain open, including Jobcentre Plus sites. 

Where you or your employees can work effectively from home, you must do so. If you must travel to your place of work then please follow the Covid-19 Secure Guidelines to substantially reduce the risk of transmission. 

Financial support for businesses

The government is extending the financial support available to businesses to support them through the new national restrictions. 

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) is now offering grants of up to £3,000 to businesses who have been forced to close, based on rateable value. 

West Berkshire Council will be administering these grants to eligible businesses from the 6th of November. Read more and apply here

In addition to this, the following schemes have been extended until 31st of January 2021: 

• Bounce Back Loan - offering 1 year interest free fully Government backed loans to SMEs, based on 25% of turnover. 
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan - offering 1 year interest free loans of up to £5 million for SMEs, which are 80% backed by the Government. 
• Large Business Interruption Loan - offering 1 year interest free loans of up to £200 million for large businesses, which are 80% backed by the Government. 
• Future Fund - Government loans of up to £5 million for innovative businesses facing difficulties accessing finance. 

Support from the Public Protection Partnership

The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) is a shared service delivering Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards to over 450,000 people and 10,000 businesses on behalf of three authorities (Partners), Bracknell Forest Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council.

If businesses are unsure how the new restrictions affect their business then Public Protection Partnership can be contacted on 01635 503242 or via our online form:

Make an enquiry 

All our Covid Updates are also on our website. And posted on our social media pages:

Facebook

Twitter

Brexit - please act now

All businesses must prepare for Brexit. The UK is leaving the EU and customs union from the 1st of January 2021, and it will affect everyone.

Use the Government's simple checker tool to find out what steps you need to take between now and December to get ready. 

Job Retention Scheme extended until March 2021

The Job Retention, or Furlough, Scheme has been extended until the end of March, replacing the planned Job Support Scheme. The Government will pay 80% of employees' wages for hours not worked, with employers paying only NI and pension contributions.

To be eligible, employees must have been on payroll before the 30th of October, and those who were made redundant from the 23rd of September can now be re-employed and placed on Furlough. Read more.

The Self Employed Income Support Scheme has also been extended until April 2021, and the grants available for the November to January period have been increased to 80% of average monthly trading profits, up to £7,500.  

Shop local online

Our local shops and restaurants have gone to enormous lengths to keep our customers safe during the pandemic, and keep our district open for business. 

As many of our local business are forced to close again approaching Christmas, we want to encourage everyone to shop online with them this year. It is a convenient, meaningful way of giving them your support, it solves your Christmas shopping, and helps make sure they can reopen in December. 

Facebook is a great place to find the websites of your favorite independents, or use Small Business Saturday's dedicated local business finder. 

Thanks for reading!

For more frequent updates from the Economic Development team, follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

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