Member News

Tactile Solutions are offering their secure, high-quality Video Meeting product free to all local businesses for 30 days. UK based with higher quality video and audio with less delay. With loads of features, very competitive pricing and full 24/7 support from a local company, give it a go. Why wouldn’t you?

Working from home? The ideal way to emulate your office environment wherever your team may be working from. Log in to chat in the open video office with the whole team or breakout into private meetings 1 to 1.

TactileMeet is a secure, private, fast and feature packed Video Conferencing and Meeting tool to enable businesses to stay in touch with staff, colleagues and customers alike. Enjoy high quality, secure video chats with great features such as screen sharing, video sharing and integrated messaging.

As mentioned, during these challenging times we are also offering a 30 day free, no obligation trial to all local businesses. Simply call us on 01603 959083, or drop us an e-mail to [email protected] and we’ll set you up to begin your trial!

Anglian Water is one of eight utility networks who have teamed up to give a £500,000 boost to local community foundations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The water company alongside UK Power Networks, SGN, Southern Water, Thames Water, Affinity Water, SES Water and South East Water, are collaborating on a regional initiative looking out for their local communities as part of their ongoing work to help people living in vulnerable circumstances.

The firms that keep the lights on, taps running and gas flowing, employ thousands of key workers to maintain reliable supplies, who are working hard to ensure the country keeps going during these unprecedented times.

Anglian Water looks after around six million customers and the largest region in England and Wales, has already stepped up its efforts to directly support customers. The company’s new £1million Positive Difference Fund was launched last week, with the first tranche of funding donated through the Utility Networks Partnership to local organisations most in need.

Working together, the Partnership are supporting local community foundations to make sure funding quickly gets to the frontline, where it can make the most impact in boosting community resilience, including local foodbanks, volunteer centres, food delivery services and outreach programmes for those at risk of isolation.

The rapid funding will reach local charities supported by community foundations across Bedfordshire and Luton, Cambridgeshire, Surrey, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex, London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Swindon, Dorset, Scotland, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Milton Keynes. Last year community foundations supported over 16,600 community organisations and charities.

Peter Simpson, Anglian Water’s Chief Executive, said: “This business is built on the communities it serves, so it’s absolutely right we extend our support back to them during this time of need.

“I’ve been humbled by the sometimes heroic efforts of both the Anglian Water workforce, and those all across the region we look after, as they simply try to keep our networks running and our communities safe. We will continue to do all we can to support them.”

Kerry Potter, consumer vulnerability manager, who chairs the Utility Networks Partnership, said: “In this difficult time for the communities we serve, this is one way we can provide practical help and support to make a real difference to the lives of the most vulnerable in our communities. We are proud to work with our regional partners in the industry to support the community foundations, through this fund we are ensuring individuals suffering hardship as a result of the coronavirus outbreak are helped.”

Rosemary Macdonald, Interim CEO of UK Community Foundations, said: “This extraordinarily generous donation will enable community foundations to reach the people who most need assistance throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Each community foundation has an in-depth understanding of their local area, what the priority needs are and how best to address these issues, so they can ensure the funding goes where it is most needed and can make the most impact.”

People who may need free extra support in the rare event of an electricity, gas or water outage can join confidential Priority Service Registers. Pensioners, parents with children under five, disabled people, hearing and sight-impaired residents, people with dementia, the chronically ill, those using medical equipment powered by electricity at home, can all benefit from free extra support by joining the registers. For details on how to join, check below:

UK Power Networks: www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority, 0800 169 9970,  [email protected]. Affinity Water: www.affinitywater.co.uk/priorityservices or by calling 0345 357 2406. Anglian Water: https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/priority-service, 03457 919 155 or use Anglian Water’s MyApp. Southern Water: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/account/extra-help-and-support or email [email protected]. Thames Water: thameswater.co.uk/priorityservices. South East Water: www.southeastwater.co.uk/priority, 0333 000 2468 SES Water: www.seswater.co.uk Anyone facing difficulties with their utility costs at this time is urged to contact their energy and water companies, which can explain the financial vulnerability programmes they have in place to support their customers.

You can find your local community foundation through UK Community Foundations – https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/our-network. 

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has so far handed out over £20m in Government relief grants to around 1,850 eligible local businesses, which is 61 per cent of the businesses we think are eligible under Government criteria and wrote to three weeks ago.

The council is working closely with New Anglia LEP, other local councils and business groups to ensure our local businesses get the support they are entitled to during these challenging times.

If you are an eligible business which has not yet claimed your money, please complete the online form as soon as possible in order to get your grant paid out. The form is a simple >www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk

Please note: Grant forms can take up to five working days to process and for funds to reach bank accounts. However, should there be any errors, omissions or duplications in the form, this timeframe may be longer. Please only submit one form per business and be wary of third-party companies offering to complete your grant form for a fee.

Life after lock down – psychological strategies for managers. Emerald Consulting.

Life goes on in spite of the Coronavirus Pandemic – where #’stay home’ has become the new normal. This world-imposed level of isolation and social distancing seemed surreal and nay on impossible to comprehend for the majority of people.

Fear, confusion and anxiety have entered the fray with many people’s first reaction being disbelief especially as it all seemed several persons removed and somewhere over there initially. With daily mortality figures rising exponentially- the gradual realisation was morbid and grim as we endeavour to stay as safe as we can. 

With the details of the new so-called ‘3 stage government plan’ emerging it looks as though we can at least begin to consider a return to normality in the not too distant future. But we now realise that the hidden killer Covid 19 will remain with us for some time after restrictions are lifted and we will all have to continue to take measures to keep this insidious and lethal invasion in abeyance.

In the absence of what the ‘new normal’ will look like accompanied by the dawning reality of continuing to face this dreaded adversity for an unknown period of time – this article explores the psychological impact this pandemic is having upon everyday people and their wellbeing particularly as they are re-establishing life beyond lockdown. Furthermore, it considers how managers of businesses might help their workforce return to work in a healthy and supportive manner.

People don’t like uncertainty

It is a known and undisputed fact that, as a species, we are creatures of habit and prefer certainty rather than a prolonged state of not knowing – this is largely adaptive and required for survival. The recovery of global health in the face of this coronavirus attack, however, leaves the whole of mankind unsure of any certain future and this inevitably generates a strong threat or alert response in the limbic system (the most ancient part) in the human brain. This is likely to deplete our resources somewhat as we are compelled – for survival – to navigate our way around our environment taking all the necessary steps to minimise the risk of infection.

Antidote: Create as much certainty as you can muster in the workplace. For those with managerial responsibilities, keep people informed and be transparent about their immediate future and company priorities aligned to the issues the company is grappling with in the aftermath (e.g. financial, supply chain, staff reduction) to lessen anxiety about even more uncertainty. Allow people to voice their concerns and be as honest as possible without alerting more concern. Make sure that behavioural management of risk reduction is established so that it becomes habitual rather than ‘special’ measures.

Humans are facing individual and collective mortality more than ever before

With this particular strain of coronavirus, the potential of being stricken by the disease either in ourselves and/or close relatives and friends woefully hangs over us all. It is all pervasive and the figures across the world have yet to instil hope.  In human behaviour – there will inevitably be an increase in the degree of symptom monitoring (as we have been advised to do so) and, for some, neurotic types worrying will escalate. These are after all matters of life and death.

Antidote: Encourage people to ‘bracket off ‘ the necessity to regularly monitor their health from other aspects of their lives. Support them with a mental shift away from becoming preoccupied with the constant reminders (of checking temperature and other symptoms) which might dominate their thoughts – more akin to the need to check for lumps and bumps in intimate parts of their bodies (i.e. it’s just a necessary precaution). Run wellbeing sessions to manage stress and develop healthy immunity education resources.

People are experiencing/will experience loss and death of close friends, colleagues and relatives.

With the grim toll of the deaths due to Covid 19 it will be inevitable that someone will know someone who sadly lost their life. Grief is all around and we are all facing the worst loss of life due to an unseen killer in known history. The fact is – grief has become a collective experience as we mourn those we love, those we admired and those who we consider heroes on the front line. The everyday stories touch all our lives and grief and loss may underscore our memories when this is all over.

Antidote: In the workplace promote acceptance that grief and loss related experiences are pervasive. Remind people that it is a normal human process which they will get through in time and create a culture to enable people to talk about death and dying as – for now at least – part of our everyday reality.  Accentuate hope for those of us who survived and honour those staff members lost with lasting tributes of their lives such as a roll of honour or celebration of remembrance. Offer formal bereavement support for those worst affected by the losses. 

Managing the wellbeing of staff in the aftermath of returning to work in a destabilised local and world economy

Many employees returning to work after the lockdown has been lifted will face a range of unravelling new ways of working alongside accompanying anxiety and stress. It will take time and effort to return to business as usual. It is likely that new strategies will be developed and previously effective business models adjusted.  New responsibilities might be required and workforce distribution and roles and practices negotiated. Proactive change management at this stage is crucial to stabilise employee experiences.

Antidote: Seize the opportunity to review your business. What are your new priorities and setbacks due to Covid 19? How will you realign your business trajectory to its earlier projections?  Your main asset is your workforce – appraise them of the problems the organisation faces in a culture of transparency and candour- invite them to take ownership of the challenges and to collaboratively generate novel ideas and solutions. Work with partners across the local community and further afield – they will also be seeking solutions (globally and locally).

People are social animals and the need to socially isolate and work within the 2-metre rule impacts on this basic requirement of what it is to be human

Generally speaking, human beings require closeness and intimacy with other humans. It has hitherto been an essential, adaptive aspect of survival of the species. However, conversely, social isolation has become a new necessity for survival of the species – and it will have a lot to answer for. People have become isolated from others not immediately living under the same roof. Children have become detached from their grandparents and some romantic relationships have had to go on hold. Tensions have arisen in some households where due to a mixture of anxiety, stress, fear, bereavement and boredom interpersonal relationships have become strained. Family holidays are notoriously times of great strain – and, although novel, this family gathering will not have felt like much of a holiday to many people.

Antidote: Employers need to take these background issues into account when their workforce returns to work. Some people will return with a deep sense of relief -as work provides them with structure, purpose and fulfilment. Others will continue to worry about social distancing and not spreading/catching the virus. It is an imperative that they are informed on return as to the continued measures being implemented for safety. It is also an opportunity for work to replace social lives albeit on a temporary basis. Consider enhancing the social aspect of work where staff come together in ways they might not have before (of course, this could remain on a virtual basis) – offer quiz breaks or talent breaks or daily/weekly appreciation/recognitions for staff who have gone the extra mile for the business as part of the working day. Reward staff for social cohesion – which is necessary to take the business forward.

I wish you well in your endeavours. Amanda Hall CPsychol; AFBPsS Consultant Psychologist and Director of Emerald Consulting – Bespoke Psychological Services

Emerald Consulting – Bespoke Psychological Services Introduction Emerald Consulting offers high end support to professionals experiencing life or work-related challenges and mental health issues. Our bespoke approach aims to provide a top-level service to upper layer professionals who often neglect their own needs whilst focusing on the wellbeing and performance of their workforce.

Amanda Hall (Director)is a Consultant Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). She has amassed over twenty-five years of experience in the Mental Health and Psychiatric field at a Clinical, Management and Executive Director level, both in the NHS and latterly in the private health care sector – working with people with a wide range of problems and diagnosed mental disorders.

What we offer Amanda specialises in providing top level coaching and psychological assessments and support to consultants and managers, board and executive level personnel across all settings to include: ● healthcare consultants ● business consultants ● media and sports personalities ● leaders of industry  ● high-level public profile clients 

In addition, Amanda offers whole system psychological solutions to workforce or workplace matters based on her own experience as a manager and Executive Director in the Welsh NHS.

This might include: ● conflict resolution ● trauma and critical incident debriefing ● critical incident analysis ● chairing grievance or disciplinary panels ● investigative officer for workforce incidents ● psychological assessments and reports ● bereavement support ● executive coaching ● mental wellness ● motivational enhancement ● stress management ● psychological approaches training (e.g. behavioural principles on how to get the best from you workforce/board business) ● workforce relations ● workforce behaviour change ● service redesign and improvements utilising lean technology ● medico-legal cases ● board cohesion ● company principles and values

Emerald can offer individualised support packages with a mutually agreed fee schedule and is registered with the major healthcare insurance companies. Please feel free to contact for any assistance with the issues discussed.

The UK’s largest network of small business specialist accountants ensures its franchisees continue to lead the way.

The TaxAssist Accountants network, which looks after over 76,000 independent businesses across the UK, is proud to be delivering expert advice, tools and guidance to help support this vital sector through these difficult times.

Realising accountants would play an intrinsic part in helping to explain the many support measures rolled out by the Government, the TaxAssist Support Centre has ensured every franchisee has the resources they need to effectively communicate with and assist their clients.

Daren Moore, Group Commercial Director at TaxAssist Accountants, explains: “Very early on, we recognised we needed to set up a dedicated TaxAssist COVID-19 Action Group. “It produces a daily news update to each franchisee, highlighting the latest announcements and examining the finer detail of the Government’s help measures.

“Feedback received from the network has been fantastic so far, with many praising our pro-active approach and our depth and quality of resources, which has allowed them to offer an enhanced service to their clients, who are desperately looking to them for clarity and guidance. We have also written a letter on behalf of our network, urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reconsider some of the measures he has put in place to support certain sectors, and attended a virtual meeting with the Small Business Commissioner at the Department of Business and Industry, where we represented the views of our network.”

TaxAssist Accountants has developed a Coronavirus Hub on its website, containing all of the latest information about what support has been made available. This has been designed to be a comprehensive guide, covering summarised advice by client type, such as businesses, employers, Directors, self-employed and landlords. Analysis reveals visitors to the website more than doubled compared to this time last year, as clients eagerly check on the latest developments.       

“Our franchisees have reported that they have been inundated with queries and have been incredibly busy helping and reassuring their clients. In turn, the Support Centre Technical Helpdesk Staff (all now working from home), have recorded a record number of calls from franchisees accessing our team of specialists,” said Daren.

“All of our accountants have access to the very latest in accounting and office software, which has paid dividends in being able to remain open for business, offering telephone or video consultations for all existing or new clients, and the ability to provide live data and reporting for clients in need of urgent cashflow projections.

“We have helped franchisees produce videos to enable them to engage with their clients and we have produced videos about the support and grants available, as well as running a series of webinars for both franchisees and clients, covering the latest position and practical guidance.”

A major strength of the TaxAssist model is the ability to support its franchisees with a centralised mailing system and social media campaigns. This means every client can be contacted quickly and professionally with the very latest developments relevant to them, a big boon for a busy network of accountants, with more than 400,000 emails sent on their behalf to date and regular posts and client guides shared on social media.

Lloyd Evans, who owns TaxAssist Accountants practices in Kingswinford, Wolverhampton and Halesowen, said: “The constant messages we receive from clients is one of thanks for the regular updates they receive, which they greatly value. These communications bring us ever closer to our clients and supports the huge volume of telephone calls we are all making at this time.”

 If you would like to contact TaxAssist Accountants to request an online chat with one of our Accountants, please call 0800 05 23 555 to discuss your needs.

If you are interested in joining the network of TaxAssist Accountants, we are holding a Virtual Discovery Day on the 21st April – please call 0800 0188297 for more information.

Norfolk and Waveney cancer charity, Big C, is encouraging local people affected by cancer to access community-based support during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Dr Melanie Pascale, Director of Charitable Operations at Big C, said, “Getting the right support when either you, or a loved one, is facing cancer, which is very difficult at any time, is particularly crucial now when so many are socially isolating or for the most vulnerable, shielding at home completely. Many are also experiencing increased anxiety due to changes in their care and treatment plans. “Since the beginning of the outbreak our support team has made telephone contact with hundreds of Big C service-users to check on their health and wellbeing. 800 people have also accessed support via our online support centre since we closed our centres due to the outbreak. With 25,000 visits to our centres across Norfolk usually taking place each year, we know how many people will currently be needing our support and we’re keen to raise awareness of the services we can continue to offer, albeit in a different way in some cases. You don’t need to have used Big C services previously, we are here for everyone living with cancer.” Tim Adams, who has been supported by Big C in recent weeks, said “I am absolutely overwhelmed by the continuous support that I have received so far through phone counselling and regular telephone calls of support. Thanks so much also for the bag of incredibly useful items delivered to my home earlier on this week. It was such a kind thought and a lovely surprise.” Another Big C service user, Rodney Earp, said “I took my bag of Big C goodies to my allotment and whilst I planted my Casablanca 1st early potatoes, I was overcome with the kindness of the team in packing these items for me. I could use everything, and I felt as though you were there with me at this time when we can’t meet. I can only thank you with all my heart.” Big C has launched a range of services designed to support those affected by cancer during the Coronavirus outbreak which include:

• Free telephone support line operated by cancer specialist nurses and qualified, experienced cancer information officers. Telephone 0800 092 7640, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
• Live chat facility Monday to Friday 11am to 3pm
• Telephone counselling
• Telephone advice in partnership with Citizens Advice Bureau
• Big C Virtual Centre – offering ‘Ask the Nurse’ support and video links to Big C team members. Physical activity and mental wellbeing videos
• Delivery of Big C welfare support packs, including hand sanitisers made by UEA scientists for the charity
• Emergency delivery service for those most in need
• Weekly wellbeing blogs from Big C nursing and information support staff

  Dr Melanie Pascale added, “Please do get in touch with Big C on 0800 092 7640 and we will be very happy to discuss how we can support you.” www.big-c.co.uk

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has already handed out nearly £20m in Government relief grants to local businesses – and is reminding those eligible businesses which have not yet claimed their money to complete the online form.

Three weeks ago, the council wrote to the 3,000 eligible businesses in the borough and asked them to complete the simple online form as swiftly as possible in order to get their grants paid out.

So far, around £19m has been handed out in total to 1,722 businesses, which represents 57 per cent of the businesses in the borough that are eligible for the Government grants.

With the number of forms completed daily now starting to reduce, the council is phoning or emailing the remaining eligible businesses, where it has those contact details, to remind them of the importance of completing the online form.

Visit www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support for the link to the online form, information and support about the grants, eligibility criteria and further business advice. For advice relating to the grants, call 0808 196 2240. For other business advice, contact the Growth Hub via 0300 333 6536 or www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk

Eligible businesses should only submit one form, as duplication of forms is likely to delay processing. The council is also reminding businesses to be wary of third-party companies offering to complete their grant form for a fee, as the form can be completed simply by businesses themselves.

Cllr Carl Smith, leader of the council, said: “The council is working closely with New Anglia LEP, other local councils and business groups to ensure our local businesses get the support they are entitled to during these challenging times.

“I would like to praise our council staff for working quickly to get so many grants paid out in just three weeks, and we continue to pay out money daily. We would like to hand out grants to the remaining eligible businesses but can only do so if those businesses complete the online form. 

“The form is a simple data-capture process asking for information each business should have easy access to, and council staff are available to help over the phone if needed. We are doing all we can to make businesses aware, in liaison with our partners, and we hope eligible businesses will grasp the support being provided.”

How can we make better working environments for everyone, post Covid-19? Our aim is to investigate the best ways in which to improve our working lives, in order to promote better mental and physical health. We think that now is an especially important time to make these considerations, as we begin to prepare for normal life to resume once the outbreak is over. Why not try to improve our workplace environments, instead of simply picking up where we left off? We have created a short survey to gain valuable insights into how remote working is affecting individuals across the country. This will form the basis for more in-depth design studies into space planning, employee requirements, furniture specification and how we can benefit both the employees and employers in the future. This short survey should only take around 5 minutes of your time. The questions are a combination of multiple choice and written answers, all about your usual working environments both before and during the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Survey: https://surveyhero.com/c/374b093d

For more information on this survey and further study please visit – www.layrddesign.co.uk/workspacereview

Take Care.

Norwich City Council know that this is an incredibly difficult time for small businesses in the city, and they want to do everything they can as quickly as possible to support them and help with cashflow problems.

Nearly 800 Norwich businesses have now received their government grants, equating to nearly £14 million, which is over a third of the allocated funding and more are being processed daily. By the end of the week ending 17 April, they will have paid out 40 per cent of their funding. They are on track to meet the government target of paying out all business grants by the end of April.

Allocating funding quickly is essential and they’re working flat out to do this, but they have to strike a balance between speed and accuracy.

Of course for the businesses still waiting for grants this is incredibly frustrating. Please be assured that if you’ve filled in an online small grants form, Norwich City Council have that form, and will contact you directly if there is a problem or if they need any more information to process the payment.

If you’ve not yet filled in a small grants form, please do so here.

They understand that there are frustrations with the lack of contact from the council to individual businesses about the status of their grant. This is a brand new process for them which they had to roll out really quickly and they are prioritising processing grants, so please bear with them.

Norwich City Council have prepared some FAQs, which hopefully answer some questions you may have.

Take this time to upskill or refresh you or your staff’s training – it really is the perfect time!

The RedCat Partnership Ltd are a long established professional Health and Safety Consultancy and Training business based at their own premises at No8 Thorpe Road, Norwich 

We have created an awesome set of blended courses which are a mixture of live interactive webinars, plus some self directed learning!

We offer a suite of accredited compliance based training courses, but also bespoke course!

Do get in touch to book! 

MHA Larking Gowen has been working on numerous blogs, brochures and videos to give businesses the latest advice on the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic. 

We have specialist sector teams in Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality, Not for Profit, Medical, and Farms and Landed Estates, as well as specialists in Tax, Payroll, Corporate Finances, Insolvency and Business Advisory. Our teams are commited to helping where they can with advice and support, so please get in touch at [email protected] or visit our dedicated COVID-19 Hub.

  Watch our latest videos, including a ‘top 10 tips’ series    Business Advisory Partners, James Lay and Mark Curtis, have filmed some brief videos on disaster planning, problem solving, decision making and business prioritising. They have also filmed a series of short videos giving you the top 10 business tips designed to help you problem solve, prioritise and keep calm. These are tried and tested methods and are beneficial to most businesses as we navigate through these uncertain times   COVID-19: Current Business Support   You can download our Current Business Support document from our COVID-19 Hub which outlines the current business support measures issued by the Government, and includes information on who is expected to be eligible for the reliefs. To help you identify which schemes are actually beneficial to you, we have produced a flow chart – What financial support is there for me and my business?   Read the latest blogs and helpsheets from our experts   Our experts are keeping up to date with the guidance as it is released, and our blogs and helpsheets cover a wide range of topics such as How to manage COVID-19 anxiety to What you can do if you’ve made capitol losses in the 2019/2020 tax year. You can view a full list of all resources on our COVID-19 hub.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has unveiled a set of financial measures to support businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19, which includes the latest rescue packages for employed and self-employed workers.

A summary of the measures to support business include:

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme On 20 March 2020, the Chancellor announced a rescue package for businesses and workers, by introducing a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

Under the new scheme, employers can contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to apply for a grant (not a loan) to cover up to 80% of furloughed workers’ salaries, up to £2,500 per month. Employers can choose to top up the salary of retained workers if they so choose.

Furloughed workers are workers that are to be retained but have been asked to take a temporary leave of absence. The employee should not undertake work whilst they are furloughed.

If you are to treat employees as furloughed workers, you will need to notify them of the change. Changing the employment status remains subject to existing employment law, depending on the employment contract, and may be subject to negotiation.

The grant will be backdated to 1 March 2020 and will initially be available up to a period of three months, however, this period may be extended by the government if required.

The first grants will be available in the coming weeks and by the end of April 2020 for all businesses.

Eligibility criteria: – All UK businesses are eligible – Available for employees on the payroll at 28 February 2020

Application process: – Designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers’ and notify your employees of this change – The employer will pay the employee through payroll, using the Real Time Information (RTI) system as usual – Submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal that is currently being developed by HMRC

Further information on how the scheme operates, calculating the grant amount and what you need to do to make a claim can be found here.

If your business needs short term cash flow support, you may be eligible for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL) – see below.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme On 26 March 2020, the Chancellor announced the new Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The scheme will support self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, who have lost income due to COVID-19.

Eligible recipients will be able to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of their trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month, available for 3 months in one lump-sum payment. This may be extended if needed.

Further information on the scheme eligibility and application process can be found here.

VAT Deferral It was also announced that VAT liabilities due for the period 20 March 2020 to 30 June 2020 will be deferred until the end of the 2020/21 tax year.

VAT refunds and reclaims will be paid by the government as normal.

More information can be found here

Eligibility criteria: – All UK businesses are eligible

Application process: – This is automatic with no applications required. – Customers who normally pay by direct debit may need to cancel their direct debit with their bank, if they are unable to pay. Please do so in sufficient time so that HMRC do not attempt to automatically collect on receipt of your VAT return.

Self-Assessment Income Tax Deferral Self-assessment payments, normally due 31 July 2020, will be deferred until 31 January 2021.

The deferment is optional. If you are still able to pay your second payment on account on 31 July you should do so.

No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged if you defer payment until January 2021.

Eligibility criteria: – You are eligible if you are due to pay your second self-assessment payment on account on 31 July. You do not need to be self-employed to be eligible for the deferment.

Application process: – This is automatic with no applications required.

Self-Employed – Universal Credit and Rental Costs Self-employed individuals will also be able to access, in full, Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for employees and a further £1bn to cover 30% of house rental costs.

Government Backed Loans From 23 March 2020, the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) went live, making available loans for small and medium sized businesses up to £5 million in value. The government will cover interest charges for the first twelve months, as well as any lender-levied fees.

The scheme provides the lender with a government backed guarantee against the outstanding facility balance, however, the borrower remains liable for the debt.

We have already been in contact with our local bank contacts and can assist in an application where appropriate.

The CBILS will be provided by the British Business Bank through participating providers, and will offer attractive terms for both businesses applying for new facilities and lenders.

Finance terms are available up to six years for term loans and asset finance facilities. For overdrafts and invoice finance facilities, terms will be up to three years.

For further information, the British Business Bank have put together the following FAQ.

Further details regarding the CBILS, can be found here.

Eligibility criteria: – Be UK based, with turnover of no more than £45 million per annum – Have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender, and for which the lender believes the provision of finance will enable the business to trade out of any short-to-medium term difficulty. – Are not an excluded trade or organisation (eg banks, building societies, insurers and reinsurers – but not insurance brokers)

Application process: – The scheme is now open for applications. All major banks are offering this scheme. To apply, you should talk to your bank or one of the other participating providers. We can assist in an application where appropriate.

Business Rate Holiday For the 2020/21 tax year, business rates will be abolished for all retailers, leisure outlets and those in the hospitality sector. It was also announced that estate agents, lettings agencies and bingo halls will receive the business rate relief for 2020/21, along with qualifying nursery businesses.

Eligibility criteria: – Your business is based in England – Your business is in the retail, hospitality and/or leisure sector – Your business is an estates agent, lettings agency or bingo hall – Your business is a qualifying nursery

Properties that will benefit from the relief will be occupied hereditaments that are wholly or mainly being used:

– as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues – for assembly and leisure – as hotels, guest & boarding premises and self-catering accommodation – as an estate agent, lettings agency or bingo hall – as a qualifying nursery

Application process: – Your local authority should apply the relief automatically to your 2020/21 business rates bill. This may have to be rebilled if you have already received it.

Grants For businesses in retail, leisure and hospitality sector operating from smaller premises, with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000, you will be eligible for a grant of £25,000.

A grant of £10,000 is available for businesses with rateable value up to £15,000.

You can check your rateable value here.

Eligible recipients will receive one grant per property (hereditament).

If you are eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rate Relief (RRR) then there is a one off grant of £10,000 available.

Eligibility criteria: – your business is based in England – your business is in the retail, hospitality and/or leisure sector with a rateable value less than £51,000; or – your business is eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rate Relief (RRR)

Application process: – The grants will be available through your local authority, who will write to you if you are eligible for this grant. Details of the grant publication can be found here.

Businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or over, or are not ratepayers in the business rate system, are not eligible for the grants.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Small and medium sized businesses will be able to reclaim SSP up to two weeks per employee where their sickness has been because of COVID-19.

Eligibility criteria: – You businesses is UK based – Your business is a small or medium-sized and employs fewer than 250 employees as of 28 February 2020

Application process: – The mechanism of how businesses can claim this back will be published in the next couple of months, which we understand will be through a rebate scheme that is currently being developed.

SSP is due to be paid from the first day of sickness absence, rather than the fourth day, for people who have COVID-19 or have to self-isolate, in line with official government guidance. The measure applies retrospectively from 13 March 2020.

HM Revenue & Customs -Time to Pay Arrangements HMRC have set up a telephone helpline to support businesses and self-employed people concerned about not being able to pay their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

On a case by case basis, HMRC have always looked at agreeing time to pay arrangements for Self-Assessment, Corporation Tax, PAYE and VAT liabilities. We have found them to be very amenable in the past and HMRC have increased the staff availability to meet demand.

For those who are unable to pay due to coronavirus, HMRC will discuss your specific circumstances to explore:

– agreeing an instalment arrangement – suspending debt collection proceedings – cancelling penalties and interest where you have administrative difficulties contacting or paying HMRC immediately

Eligibility criteria: – Pays tax to the UK government – Have outstanding tax liabilities

Application process: – Call the HMRC dedicated helpline number: 0800 0159 559

The above measures being implemented by the government are correct as at 26 March 2020, however, we understand more measures could be implemented dependant on the progress of the pandemic and the economic impact this has in the UK.

The following government website is a useful source of information and is being updated daily click here for updates.

Our HR team have also put together some COVID-19 FAQs for employers here.

If you would like further information, please do contact us.