Government, Local Authority and Business
Guide for small businesses and individuals wanting to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) that will protect against COVID-19
The attached guidance is designed to help any small businesses, organisations or other individuals who are responding to the call for a national effort to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) aimed at protecting the health of the wearer during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Guidance for manafacturing personal protective equipment
If you are in a position to manufacture please contact us with your products and price lists.
What is our Challenge?
Urgent Supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
Surrey County Council is appealing to businesses for vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies to help protect our frontline workers delivering essential services to Surrey residents during COVID-19.
Click here for more information: https://innovation.supplytosurrey.co.uk/challenge/5 [innovation.supplytosurrey.co.uk]
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is now open for applications.
Employers can furlough anyone they employ, provided that on or before 19th March they were on PAYE payroll and HMRC has been notified of payment via the RTI system.
Employers can go online to claim cash grants worth up to 80% of wages, capped at £2,500 a month per worker. HMRC staff will operate the scheme. Further details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
Business Grants payments
Spelthorne Borough Council has begun making payments to eligible businesses under the Government's Coronavirus business support grants programme.
The Government has made £15 million available to small and medium sized businesses in Spelthorne. As of 14th April, Spelthorne has provided £3.025m to these firms and the total is increasing daily. Grants are available for business ratepayers who are exempt from paying rates under Small Business Rates Relief and to business rates payers in retail, leisure and hospitality sector with a rateable value of less than £51,000. The Council has to go through a checking process before it is able to issue the grants. It commenced issuing grants on 7th April by BACS transfer and will be processing them on a daily working day basis until they are all distributed. There are around 830 businesses in the borough which need to be assessed individually by a small team of our staff.
Payments will go to businesses for which we have bank account details first, so if we do not have your details please visit this webpage: https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/CV19Grant
Our website is the most up to date place for information about grant payments. Further details on the scheme can be found here: https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/CV19Grant
So that we can prioritise our resources in getting funds paid to you please only call us on 01784 451459 if your business is likely to fold in the next seven days due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Universal Credit
If you think you are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), please read the following information:
- You can get £94.25 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you're too ill to work. It's paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.
If you are self-isolating because of COVID-19:
- From 13th March, you can now claim SSP. This includes individuals who are caring for people self-isolating in the same household and therefore have been advised to do a household quarantine.
Further relaxation of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19, ensuring their UC award will increase to reflect their lower earnings.
To check your sick pay entitlement, you should talk to your employer, and visit https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay for more information.
When does SSP apply?
The government is legislating for SSP to be paid from day 1, rather than day 4, of your absence from work if you are absent from work due to sickness or need to self-isolate caused by COVID-19. Once the legislation has been passed, this will apply retrospectively from 13th March. You should talk to your employer if you are eligible for SSP and need to claim.
Do I need a sick note?
From 20th March onwards, those who have COVID-19 or are advised to self-isolate will be able to obtain an "isolation note" by visiting NHS 111 online and completing an online form, rather than visiting a doctor. For COVID-19 cases this replaces the usual need to provide a "fit note" after seven days of sickness absence. Isolation notes will also be accepted by Jobcentre Plus as evidence of your inability to attend.
Extension of Statutory Sick Pay to self-isolaters and those in the same household caring for self-isolaters - payable from day 1 not day 4.
Contributory Employment and Support Allowance will be now be available from Day 1 not Day 8 for eligible people unable to work because they are directly affected by COVID-19 or self-isolating.
WHO TO CONTACT: your employer or Jobcentre Plus
If you are not eligible for SSP - for example if you are self-employed or earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £118 per week - and you have COVID-19 or are advised to self-isolate, you can now more easily make a claim for Universal Credit (UC) or new style Employment and Support Allowance.
For more information on how to claim, please visit https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-employment-and-support-allowance.
What if I am self-employed and receiving Universal Credit?
If you are self-employed and receiving Universal Credit and you have COVID-19 or are advised to self-isolate, the requirements of the Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed. This change took effect on 13th March and will last for the duration of the outbreak, to ensure that self-employed UC claimants will receive support.
WHO TO CONTACT: the DWP - If you need to claim Universal Credit but have COVID-19 or are self-isolating, you will now be able to claim and to access advance payments upfront without needing to attend a Jobcentre Plus. Please visit https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit for more information.
If you are eligible for new style Employment and Support Allowance, it will now be payable from day 1 of sickness, rather than day 8, if you have COVID-19 or are advised to self-isolate.
WHO TO CONTACT: the DWP - Please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-employment-and-support-allowance
Business Grants
Businesses looking for information or to apply for business grants as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak can visit https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/CV19Grant.
Advice for self-employed people
The following links provide advice and support for self-employed people:
https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/self-employment-income-support-scheme/
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme/
What we are doing for local businesses:
- we are signposting local businesses to the advice from central Government as well as to the below.
- Federation of Small Businesses - https://www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/advice-to-small-businesses-and-fsb-members-about-the-novel-coronavirus-covid-19.html
- British Chamber of Commerce - https://www.britishchambers.org.uk/page/coronavirus?k=30cdfbcf8e205792be8adadf43630166035c27d5
- Enterprise M3 business updates - https://www.enterprisem3.org.uk/covid-19-and-em3
Guidance for Expanded Rate Relief
Please note, the proposed scheme is provisional until the Government receives approval from EU under State Aid rule.
Business Rates - COVID-19 Business Rates provisions
To determine your eligibility please check the official legislation.
This authority is now identifying all those eligible for the new provisions whereupon their business rates accounts will automatically be credited and revised bills, confirming businesses' rates liability, will be issued over the next 7-10 days.
Before the new rules can be implemented in full, the Government is awaiting confirmation of approval of the proposals by the EU under the State Aid rules which continue to operate under the EU Withdrawal Agreement period.
Further updates will be published here once official notifications have been received from the Government.
What if I am self-employed or not eligible for SSP?
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Coronavirus Emergency Response
back During this time of Coronavirus, the Rotary Club of Staines will be a community board where people can look for advice, find essential services and volunteer or find volunteers to assist our community through this emergency.