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Until Wednesday 2 December, the Government is taking the following action:
These new measures have been carefully judged to achieve the maximum reduction in growth in the number of cases, preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed, whilst ensuring that schools, colleges and universities stay open and that as many people as possible continue to work. For more information, click here.
These national restrictions replace the local restrictions in Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.
To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close. These include:
Food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open. Essential retail should follow COVID-secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers.
A full list of businesses ordered to close will be published here when available.
All employers should ensure they follow Covid-19 Secure guidelines for the workplace, which can be found by clicking here.
Government has launched a Test & Trace service to help stop the spread of the virus. It provides testing for anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus to find out if they have the virus.
It gets in touch with anyone who has had a positive test result to help them share information about any close recent contacts they have had. It alerts those contacts, where necessary, and notifies them they need to self-isolate from 14 days since their last contact with the infected person
For more information, click here.
Employers can reduce the risk of co-workers having to self-isolate if a member of staff tests positive for coronavirus by following the COVID-19 Secure guidelines. You should encourage workers to heed any notifications to self-isolate and support them in self-isolation. For full workplace guidance for employers regarding Test and Trace, click here.
If your business falls into one of the below categories, when not in national lockdown measures, you must get, print out and display a QR code on your property and encourage people to check in on arrival with the Test and Trace app.
To create your QR code and for more information, click here
Government has put in place support packages for businesses to help them reopen following the coronavirus pandemic. For information of all the help available, please click here.
The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a £2billion Kickstart Scheme which will put young people at the heart of the economic recovery by supporting the creation of six month paid work placements for young people aged 16-24 years of age. This is for any business across all sectors including the private, public and voluntary and community sectors.
For full details of the Kickstart Scheme please click here
Businesses that wish to employ 30 or more young people through the scheme can apply directly to the Government, for more information click here.
To support the many small and medium sized companies in the Tees Valley to access this support and create jobs, Mayor Houchen has pledged to act as a representative for any businesses who wish to offer less than 30 Job Placements.
In addition to acting as a representative for Tees Valley businesses the Tees Valley Combined Authority will also provide extended wrap around support for the young person to access skills training and support to ensure a positive progression once the Kickstart Job placement ends.
For further information, guidance and frequently asked questions, click here.
If you are an employer that wishes to engage with the Combined Authority to act as the representative, please click here.
This scheme has been extended to March as a result of the further national lockdown measures. For more information and to see if you or your employer is eligible to claim, click here.
The Job Support Scheme, due to come into force on November 1, has been paused until the Job Retention Scheme ends.
This is a one-off £1,000 taxable payment to you as an employer for each eligible employee you furloughed and subsequently kept continuously employed. As a result of the Furlough scheme being extended until March, this will be redeployed at a more appropriate time.
Businesses required to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following:
These grants are now open for applications. Please contact your Local Authority or visit their website for more details on how to apply.
You may be able to use the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to claim back employees’ coronavirus-related Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
This will repay employers up to two weeks of the Statutory Sick Pay paid to current or former employees if they have been sick from work with coronavirus.
To see if you are eligible and to apply, click here.
The scheme helps small and medium-sized businesses to access loans and other kinds of finance up to £5 million.
The government guarantees 80% of the finance to the lender and pays interest and any fees for the first 12 months.
You can apply for a loan if your business is based in the UK and has an annual turnover of up to £45 million.
Further details can be found on the British Business Bank website by clicking here.
A further support scheme, for firms with a turnover of more than £45 million, has also been launched. More details on how to apply can be found by clicking here.
This helps small and medium-sized businesses borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, up to a maximum of 25% of their turnover, if they have been impacted by the coronavirus. Government will guarantee 100% of the loan, with no fees or interest for the first 12 months. Loan terms will be up to six years. This has been extended until January 31, 2021.
Businesses cannot apply if they are already claiming under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Businesses can apply now. See more information by clicking here.
Businesses who deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 now have the option to pay in smaller payments over a longer period.
Instead of paying the full amount by the end of March 2021, you can make smaller payments up to the end of March 2022, interest free.
You will need to opt-in to the scheme, and for those who do, this means that your VAT liabilities due between 20 March and 30 June 2020 do not need to be paid in full until the end of March 2022.
Those that can pay their deferred VAT can still do so by 31 March 2021.
If you are still unable to pay the VAT due and need more time, see the guidance about what to do if you cannot pay your tax bill on time you can also contact us by phoning: 0300 200 3835.
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme has been extended, providing support to the self-employed in the form of two grants, each available for three month periods covering November 2020 to January 2021 and February 2021 to April 2021. The grant extension is for self-employed individuals who were previously eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and are actively continuing to trade, but are facing reduced demand due to coronavirus or temporarily unable to trade.
For more information, click here.
The Trussell Trust, working to stop UK hunger.
Mind, the mental health charity. / 0300 123 3393
Samaritans / 116 123
Money Advice Service / 0800 138 7777
National Domestic Abuse Helpline / 0808 2000 247
A Way Out, for vulnerable women, young people and their families in the Tees Valley / 01642 655071
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