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
Chesterfield Borough Council encourages businesses to check eligibility for grants
Chesterfield businesses are being urged to check if they are eligible for business grants which can help them cover costs during lockdown.
Detailed information on business grants is available on the Chesterfield Borough Council website. Some of the grant schemes, including the Additional Restrictions Support Grant have been available to apply for since early January, but there are still a number of eligible businesses that have not yet applied.
New information regarding the Taxi Driver Support Grant and Additional Restrictions Grant has been added to the website – eligible businesses and individuals are being urged to apply as soon as possible.
There are currently five different business grants available to apply for online:
– Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG-C) – for businesses that have been forced to close due to national lockdowns or local restrictions.
– Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG-O) – for businesses linked to the hospitality and leisure sectors that have remained open but were severely affected by tier 3 restrictions between 2 December and 30 December 2020.
– Additional Restrictions Grant – a discretionary scheme for businesses that are not able to claim a Local Restrictions Support Grant – Closed (LRSG-C) but have been severely impacted by national or local restrictions.
– Closed Business Lockdown Payment – a one-off top up grant to support businesses that have been forced to close during national restrictions from 5 January 2021.
– Taxi Driver Support Grant – a one-off payment to support local taxi, private hire and contract drivers who are licenced to trade in the borough of Chesterfield.
Find out more about these grants and apply online by visiting: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/bsg
Government announces new lockdown grants (January 2021)
Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000, the Chancellor has announced.
This follows the Prime Minister’s announcement that these business will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control the virus, and, together with the wide range of existing support, provides them with certainty through the Spring period.
The cash is provided on a per-property basis to support businesses through the latest restrictions, and is expected to benefit over 600,000 business properties, worth £4 billion in total across all nations of the UK.
Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/46-billion-in-new-lockdown-grants-to-support-businesses-and-protect-jobs
Chesterfield Borough Council is in the process of finalising the application process for businesses in the borough and updates will be posted here and on the council’s social channels once available.
Government Furlough Scheme
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended until March 2021, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked and further economic support announced. – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-extends-furlough-to-march-and-increases-self-employed-support
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/
NHS COVID-19 app
The app is part of the government’s large-scale coronavirus testing and contact tracing programme (NHS Test and Trace).
It will be used, alongside traditional contact tracing, to notify users if they come into contact with someone who later tests positive for coronavirus.
By law, selected businesses will be required to display a QR code poster linking to the app – this includes businesses within:
- Hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
- Tourism and leisure, including gyms, swimming pools, hotels, museums, cinemas, zoos and theme parks
- Close contact services, including hairdressers, and facilities provided by local authorities, including town halls and civic centres (for events), libraries and children’s centres
There is more information for businesses here – including resources to create your own poster.
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
