You’ve coped with the national lockdown and started re-opening your business or bringing people back to work, only to find a local lockdown has been announced.
You might feel confident about what steps you need to take if your local area needs to lockdown. However, if you don’t, we’ve collated some helpful resources to support you and answer some of the questions you might have.
Rethinking your business model and revenue streams again? Read our guide here
Need advice on managing finance and cash flow? Read this guide
Want to look after the health and wellbeing of your employees? Start here
Frequently asked questions
Is there financial support for businesses under local lockdown?
The government has not announced further support packages specifically aimed at businesses under a local lockdown. However, some of the support measures announced over the last few months are still open to business owners. These include:
The ability to apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption loan (CBILS) of up to £5m with the first 12 months of finance free of interest and fees
Business rates holidays for the 2020-21 tax year for companies in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. You can check your eligibility using the government’s business rates calculator here
Grants to businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 – £51,000
£10,000 cash grants to smaller businesses across all sectors
Fast-track loans of up to £50,000 under the Bounce Back scheme
Refunds by the government to cover the cost of providing 14 days of Statutory Sick Pay for businesses with fewer than 250 employees
£500m co-investment “Future Fund” for high growth companies hit by coronavirus. This fund provides government loans to UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5m, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors.
The full list can be found by visiting the government’s website. You can also use the government’s business support finder, available to view here .
Can I still apply to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is a government scheme to allow UK employers to access support to continue paying part of their employee’s salary throughout the crisis
The scheme will close on 31 October 2020
The scheme closed to new entrants on 30 June. Employers are now only able to furlough employees that they have furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June
From this date, only employees that you have successfully claimed a previous grant for will be eligible for more grants under the scheme
The timetable for future changes to the scheme is set out in full on the government’s website .
Do I still have to pay rent on my premises?
The government has announced that no business will be forced out of its premises if it misses a rent payment in the next three months. This is effective until 30 September
Some landlords and local authorities have adjusted rent conditions to commercial tenants to provide relief during the coronavirus outbreak. However, this is ad hoc and will not apply for all businesses
We have a helpful summary of resources and updates to help you with rates, rents for your business property.