In July the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government announced £20 million of new government grants to help smaller and medium sized businesses recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands of smaller businesses in England could benefit and funds have now started to become accessible. Funding will be available through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs):
SME’s will have access to grants of between £1,000 – £5,000 to help them access new technology and other equipment as well as professional, legal, financial or other advice to help them get back on track.
To apply and find out more, please locate and contact your local area Growth Hub. You can do this by following the link below and clicking on the LEP in your area – going direct to them.
VENUES REQUIRED BY LAW TO RECORD CONTACT DETAILS
The Governments new requirements for businesses mean that premises and venues across England such as pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas must have a system in place by law to record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff in the latest move to monitor the transmission of coronavirus.
These businesses and organisations had been advised to collect and share data, but following the recent move to ban social gatherings of more than 6 people, the data collection programme will now be formally mandated from 18 September.
Further guidance and, where necessary, regulations will be set out specifying the settings which will be included, but the scope will cover the hospitality industry, such as pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as close contact services and other tourism and leisure venues.
Additionally, venues could be fined if they fail to ensure their premises remain COVID-secure, such as failing to take specified steps to collect contact information or taking bookings for groups of more than 6. Further details will be set out shortly.
Check if your business is affected.
TESTING GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYERS
The Government has issued guidance for employers and third-party healthcare providers on the regulations and legal obligations of running testing programmes.
Some employers and third-party healthcare providers may want to introduce their own internal testing programmes outside of the NHS Test and Trace service. This guidance will help them ensure that their testing programmes are as reliable and effective as possible. It covers:
- legislation, regulations and best practice
- virus and antibody testing
- how to interpret test results
- next steps after a positive or negative test
Testing – guidance for employers
COMPANIES HOUSE RESUMES VOLUNTARY STRIKE OFF PROCESS
The process for companies that have applied to be struck off the register resumed on September 10th following changes to temporary measures announced in April 2020.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Companies House paused all strike off activity to relieve the burden on businesses and to protect creditors and other interested parties who may have had difficulties in registering an objection.
This means all companies that applied to be struck off before July 2020 will be struck off the register in a phased approach over the next 4 weeks, starting on 10 September 2020.
For companies that applied to be struck off from July 2020 onwards, the voluntary strike off process will continue as normal after this initial 4-week period.
THINKING OF REOPENING YOUR BUSINESS?
If you are now reopening your business you should refer to the latest guidance from the Government.
Employers have a legal responsibility to protect both their employees and any other person on site.
Risk assessment guidance to help businesses make sensible adjustments to the workplace can be found on the governments website.
CBILS LOAN SCHEME
The British Business Bank has announced that the government backed CBILS loan scheme is coming to an end on 30th September; if you are considering making an application make sure you don’t miss the deadline.
Contact us if you need help with your submission or would like to discuss the scheme in more detail.
Alternatively details about the scheme and how it works can be found on the British Business Bank website.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. We cannot accept responsibility or liability for any actions you may take, or not take, based on this information.