Coronavirus – Business Support
The team at Destination Chesterfield is keen to keep Chesterfield and North Derbyshire businesses up-to-date on the latest advice, guidance and support regarding the corona virus outbreak in the UK.
Businesses should remind their staff to follow the current NHS advice – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
For the latest Government guidance visit – https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Derbyshire Country Council is now reporting local case information on a weekly basis – https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/health-and-wellbeing/health-protection/disease-control/coronavirus/cases/cases.aspx
COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF)
Chesterfield Borough Council has been allocated £2.4m COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) to be distributed to ratepayers that did not qualify for previous COVID-19 related schemes, can demonstrate that business has been adversely affected and who have been unable to adequately adapt to that impact.
This is an application for a discount from business rates bills and not a grant payment.
The CARF discount is for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 only (and earlier in the event of a change in circumstances such as moving out of the property).
You may be able to claim a CARF discount from us if you are a Chesterfield Borough Council Business Rates payer and your business meets ALL of the following criteria:
- it was occupied and registered for Business Rates during the financial year 2021-2022
- it is open and operating (or temporarily closed due to COVID government guidelines)
- it has been significantly and adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- it has not exceeded the permitted Business Grant Subsidy Allowance
- it has not received Extended Retail Discount or Nursery Discount during the 2021/22 financial year
- You have a business rates charge to pay during the financial year 2021-22
Find out more about how to apply for the scheme here.
Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
Businesses trading in Chesterfield’s hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors which have been affected by the Omicron variant of Covid-19 are being encouraged to apply for a support grant.
The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant provides grants from £2,667 up to £6,000 to support local businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Applications for funding are now open, and will close on 11 February 2022. A business will be eligible for the grant if:
- it was registered for Business Rates on 30 December 2021
- it was trading on 30 December 2021
- it is one of the hospitality, leisure or accommodation business types that are eligible for this payment (some exclusions do apply as per the BEIS guidance)
Businesses that may qualify for this grant are being contacted by Chesterfield Borough Council’s business grants team directly. However, if you think you are eligible and have not been in touch with anyone from the council about this yet, you can complete the application form here.
Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire’s Business Grant Scheme
Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire is offering visitor economy businesses based in Derbyshire the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £2,000.
The grants programme is part of a European Regional Development Fund project which has been extended until March 2022.
Grants are available to support the development of digital assets such as online booking systems, updated websites and cashless payment systems to help businesses respond to changing consumer behaviour.
Successful businesses will receive a 50 per cent grant towards the overall cost of the project with a minimum grant contribution being £1,000 and the maximum being £2,000.
Businesses applying for the fund must meet the following criteria:
- be part of the visitor economy, including sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
- be located in Derbyshire
- have less than 250 employees
- have been trading more than 12 months
- have a business bank account
For further information visit Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire or contact 01246 212924.
Additional Funding Support Announced (December 2021)
Additional support will be available for businesses who have been impacted by the Omicron variant, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced on the 21 December.
- Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100 million discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses
- Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK
- £30 million further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter
Chesterfield Borough Council will be announcing shortly how local businesses can access the one off grants and any discretionary funding.
The information can be found at https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/home/latest-news/extended-support-for-businesses-affected-by-covid-19.aspx
Support from D2N2 Growth Hub
The D2N2 Growth Hub continues to review and update its web page with the most relevant links and information available for financial support and advice for businesses.
Businesses are also being asked to take a survey to help D2N2 understand the needs of local businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Find out more here: https://www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/covid-19/
General guidance for businesses on how to deal with the virus
Operation of the workplace during coronavirus outbreak
Government guidance for operation of businesses in different sectors.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Financial support to businesses
The Government has implemented a range of measures to support businesses who are experiencing difficulties because of Coronavirus.
Use the Government’s support finder tool to see what support you are eligible for – https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder
More information about these measures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Individuals and businesses claiming Statutory Sick Pay relief
Coronavirus Business Toolkit
Chesterfield Champions, East Midlands Chamber have created a toolkit for businesses with a number of downloadable templates to use in their organisation
https://www.emc-dnl.co.uk/news/2020/02/24/coronavirus-planning-ahead/
HMRC helpline launched to help businesses concerned about paying their tax
Coronavirus – Mental Health support and information
Mind have information on their website if you are worried about coronavirus and how it could affect your life.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/
COVID-19 Information for Apprentices and Employers of Apprentices
If you are an apprentice or an employer of an Apprentice, we understand that you may have some very specific questions about your apprenticeship or how to support your Apprentice during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): apprenticeship programme response
Local and Regional Guidance and Support
Chesterfield Borough Council
https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus-information-hub.aspx
Tourism Sector Advice
Chesterfield Champion Visit Peak District and Derbyshire have prepared advice, guidance and templates for local businesses in the tourism sector https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/industry/business-support/useful-links/coronavirus-guidance-and-support.
Derbyshire County Council
Read the latest advice from Derbyshire County Council here – https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/health-and-wellbeing/health-protection/disease-control/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19.aspx
Information for employers recruiting or making redundancies
This information is for all businesses and employers across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who are having to make changes to their workforce as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Please follow the advice below to ensure we can support your employees and the labour market during this time.
Recruitment Information
If you are seeking to fill urgent vacancies, short or long term, to meet changes to your business as a result of Covid 19, you can be connected immediately with available individuals.
Please register your vacancies with: John Blankley Senior Employment Support Adviser
Email: John.Blankley@futuresforyou.com Phone: 0115 876 4947 / 07570 671592
Please have the following information available when registering your vacancies: • Nature of work • Number of vacancies (can be approximate) • Necessary or desirable skills requirement • Location of vacancies • Any current recruitment routes being used
Volunteering opportunities can also be registered via the above method
Redundancy Information
If you have already made employees redundant or are about to make small numbers redundant (up to five), please refer those individuals for direct support to:
Email: NationalCareersServiceNCC@futuresforyou.com Phone: 0800 917 94 19
If you are planning to make larger-scale redundancies (five or more) additional support is also available for you as an employer and your employees. In these circumstances, please use the same contact details as above but ensure your contact includes: • Notification of redundancies and scale • Number and job roles affected • Last day of work for affected individuals (if known)
For general guidance and links to further information on redundancy for both employers and employees, please visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-help-finding-work-and claiming-benefits
Things are changing all the time and any new information we receive will be added to this page and communicated via our social media channels and our e-marketing activity.
You can follow our channels at:
www.twitter.com/desches
www.facebook.com/destinationchesterfield
www.linkedin.com/company/destination-chesterfield
