Support for BID businesses during lockdowns

Caterham Valley BID is keeping in regular contact with members via email. If you are a member and are not receiving the emails, please contact us via this website or email sue@caterhambid.co.uk with your name, business and email address. Thank you.

January 2021 update

Following the latest announcement here are the details of Businesses which must close.

Full details can be found here on the gov.uk website.

• non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.
• hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.
• leisure and sports facilities such as fitness and dance studios.
• entertainment venues such as theatres, museums and galleries.
• personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people’s homes
• community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services – for example for people who do not have it at home – and for click-and-collect services

Some of these businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

• education and training – for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision
• childcare purposes and supervised activities for those children eligible to attend
• hosting blood donation sessions and food banks
• to provide medical treatment
• for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)
• for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)
• for the purposes of film and TV filming

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open. The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

• essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
• market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
• businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
• petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
• banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
• funeral directors
• laundrettes and dry cleaners
• medical and dental services
• vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals
• animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
• mobility and disability support shops
• car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
• outdoor playgrounds
• places of worship

Public services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them.

Financial Support

The Chancellor has announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring

• the one-off top-ups will be granted to closed businesses as follows:
• £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000
• There will also be £594 million discretionary fund also made available to support other impacted businesses
• comes in addition to £1.1 billion further discretionary grant funding for Local Authorities, Local Restriction Support Grants worth up to £3,000 a month and extension of furlough scheme

The government has also provided 100% business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, £1.1 billion existing discretionary funding for Local Authorities, the furlough scheme now extended to April and 100% government backed loans, extended until March.

More information is likely to become available and we will share any updates with you.

Please take care, stay at home if you possibly can and stay safe.

Click and Collect

 TDC’s licencing team have provided further guidance about what you can and cannot do as regards click and collect.

Click and collect: Non-essential retail can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services. Therefore, you could order an item online and collect from outside the shop. Customers must not enter the shop, the aim of the lockdown is to reduce our day to day contact with other people, outside of those we live with.

Further support for the self employed

In line with an extension to the furlough scheme the self Employment Income support Scheme has also been extended.

The extension will last for 6 months, from November 2020 to April 2021. Grants will be paid in 2 lump sum instalments each covering a 3 month period.

The third grant will cover a 3 month period from 1 November 2020 until 31 January 2021. The Government will provide a taxable grant calculated at 80% of 3 months average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment and capped at £7,500 in total. This is an increase from the previously announced amount of 55%.

The Government are providing the same level of support for the self-employed as is being provided for employees through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has also been extended until March 2021.

The Government has already announced that there will be a fourth grant covering February 2021 to April 2021. The Government will set out further details, including the level, of the fourth grant in due course.

Further updates will be circulated when available.

Caterham BID

The Caterham Valley BID is still operating, sharing information and offering advice and moral support. The BID is considering the advice for BIDs nationally and will be communicating further with businesses in the coming weeks.

If you have a Caterham Valley business which is still operating or has moved online, please let the BID know that you are open for business and we can communicate with the local community as we have several thousand followers on social media and several thousands of visitors to the website.

If you would like to get in touch, please contact us via the website or email sue@caterhambid.co.uk.

Remember we are here for you now and will be supporting the regeneration of Caterham post COVID-19.

Currently businesses can get information from the following places:

Coronavirus Guidance to Employers and Businesses: guidance to employers, employees and support for businesses

Guidance to Employers: on providing advice to your staff on COVID-19, how to help prevent the spread of respiratory infections, what to do if someone suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 has been in business settings and advice on travelling overseas.

Guidance to Employees: advice to employees on working from home, sick pay, and frequently asked questions

Support for Businesses: government guidance on what support is being provided to businesses, including paying sick pay, small business rate relief and business interruption loan scheme