What’s New For Small Businesses This Week? – 13/11/2020

This week the government published a series of guides to help clarify what support is available for the businesses impacted by the second national lockdown. Extensions were made to several schemes announced in the initial national lockdown earlier in the year to help businesses operate during lockdowns.

Extension to allow businesses to provide takeaways without planning
Extension to make it easier to host markets and stalls
Specific guidance for nightclub, dance hall and adult entertainment businesses
Specific guidance for businesses forced to close during the national lockdown
Employer guidance for claiming wages through the Coronovirus Job Retention Scheme

Extension for summer support schemes

On the 11th of November, the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that restaurants, pubs and cafes will get automatic freedoms to provide takeaway services for another year. Originally this was due to end on 23 March 2021. Businesses will still be required to tell their local planning authority when the new use begins and ends.

The government doubled the time that temporary structures can be placed on land without planning permission from 14 days to 28 days for holding a market. This temporary extension will be allowed until 31 December 2021. The goal of this will be to make it easier to host markets and stalls without the need for planning permissions and help businesses operate during the national lockdown. As under national lockdown rules, market stalls are allowed to sell takeaways from stalls.

Support for businesses affected by coronavirus restrictions

On the 12 November 2020, the government published guidance for specific business support available to businesses depending on their situation. Specific guidance was announced for:

Guidance for businesses closed due to the national lockdown

Eligibility

Your business may be eligible if it:

is based in England
occupies the property on which it pays business rates (and is the ratepayer)
has been required to close because of the national restrictions from 5 November to 2 December 2020
has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises

Eligible businesses can get one grant for each non-domestic property.

What you get

The grant will be based on the rateable value of the property on the first full day of restrictions.

If your business has a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or less, you may be eligible for a cash grant of £1,334 for each 28-day qualifying restrictions period.

If your business has a property with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000, you may be eligible for a cash grant of £2,000 for each 28-day qualifying restrictions period.

If your business has a property with a rateable value of £51,000 or above, you may be eligible for a cash grant of £3,000 for each 28-day qualifying restrictions period.

How to apply

Visit your local council’s website to find out how to apply:

Find the website for your local council.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers

With the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme extended until 31 March 2021, the government have published a full guide on how to claim the through the CJRS depending on the period.

Key Dates for the scheme:

Claim periods before 1 November

You need to submit claims for periods up to and including 31 October 2020 on or before 30 November 2020.

For claim periods before 1 November, you can only claim for employees you have previously successfully

furloughed through the scheme on or before 30 June.

Claiming from 1 November onwards

The government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500.
Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions.
Employers have to pay employees for the hours they work and can choose to top up their wages above the 80% total and £2,500 cap for the hours not worked at their own expense if they wish.
Neither you nor your employee needs to have benefited from CJRS before to claim for periods from 1 November onwards.
It’s up to you to decide the length of the claim period. You can usually make your claim up to 14 days before your claim period end date and do not have to wait until the end of a claim period to make your next claim.
Claims from 1 November have monthly deadlines. They must be submitted within 14 calendar days after the month they relate to.