Useful Information for Businesses – Update 21st May 2020

Within this blog we aim to give you top-line, up-to-date information at a glance with links to relevant sites that explain in more detail relevant news, support, and financial help that we hope will make a difference to your business during the Covid19 Crisis and beyond:

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced representatives from the arts, cultural and sporting worlds will join a new taskforce aimed at helping getting the country’s recreation and leisure sector up and running again.

The Culture Secretary also announced that £150million from dormant bank and building society accounts is to be unlocked to help charities, social enterprises and vulnerable individuals during the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out how to make your workplace COVID-secure; government business webinars

The government, in consultation with industry, has produced guidance to help ensure workplaces in England are as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic. Join a free webinar, hosted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to find out more about how to make your workplace COVID-secure.

The webinars cover a range of different types of workplace settings which are allowed to be open. Many businesses operate more than one type of workplace, such as an office, factory and fleet of vehicles. You may need to use more than one of the guides/webinars as you think through what you need to do to keep people safe.

• Wednesday 27 May, 11am: Factories, plants and warehouses – Guidance for people who run factories, plants and warehouses.
• Wednesday 27 May, 3pm: Restaurants offering takeaway or delivery – Guidance for people who run restaurants offering takeaway or delivery services.
• Thursday 28 May, 11am: Shops and branches – Guidance for people who run shops, branches, stores or similar environments.
• Thursday 28 May, 3pm: Vehicles – Guidance for people who work in or from vehicles, including couriers, mobile workers, lorry drivers, on-site transit and work vehicles, field forces and similar.
• Monday 1 June, 11am: Construction and other outdoor work – Guidance for people who run outdoor working environments.
• Monday 1 June, 3pm: Labs and research facilities – Guidance for people who run indoor labs and research facilities and similar environments.
• Tuesday 2 June, 11am: Offices and contact centres – Guidance for people who run offices, contact centres and similar indoor environments.
• Tuesday 2 June, 3pm: Homes – Guidance for people working in, visiting or delivering to home environments as well as their employers.

Funding boost for hi-tech, innovative companies and start-ups

Innovative businesses and start-ups are set to benefit from a £40m government investment to drive forward new technological advances.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced today the government is doubling investment in the Fast Start Competition with an additional £20m.

Homes England commissions research study to drive construction innovation LINK.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) COVID-19 SME Guidance LINK

ADDITIONAL UPDATES AND GUIDANCE

£500m Future Fund opens for application LINK

Apprenticeship programme response LINK

Working safely during coronavirus LINK

Horizon 2020 funding updated LINK

Coronavirus guidance for Community Interest Companies (CICs) LINK

WEBINARS

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT

Thank you to White Label Creative who have been invaluable in passing on relevant information to us on a daily basis and Croydon Council Economic Development Team – we hope that in re-circulating the salient points, we can all work together to help as many businesses as possible.