| HMRC Portal – Furloughed Staff From Monday 20th April, the Furlough Portal will be live on the HMRC website so you can apply for the 80% support for every member of staff you have furloughed. The payment will be based on their PAYE salary paid on 28th February unless your staff are seasonal, or if the salary is fluctuating. Bonuses, commissions and overtime will not be included. We will provide details of the portal once it goes live. You can also attend a free HMRC webinar on furloughing this week. Click here to register |
| Small Business Grants The portal to claim for the small business grants is now live. Once your application is completed, payment should be received within three working days. Click here to make your claim |
| Charity Support Last week the Government announced a support page of £750million to support charities. Including: £370 million for small, local charities via the National Lotteries Communities Fund Including £60 million to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland £360 million to support vulnerable people including £200 million for hospices £160 million for local programmes including St Johns Ambulance, Citizens Advice Bureau, vulnerable children, victims of domestic abuse and disabled people Finally, at least £20 million to the National Emergency Trust Appeal for the BBCs ‘Big Night In’ on Thursday 23rd April. The government will match fund, pound for pound, the donations received during this event |
| Let’s Do Business Loans If you are a new businesses or a small business working from home or in managed premises, you are probably not eligible for a business grant or much in furlough support, however, you may be able to get a low interest loan from the Let’s Do Business Group. LDBG are happy to look at loans below £25k https://www.letsdobusinessfinance.co.uk/cbils-ldbf Or Businesses under 2 years old may also be considered for a Start Up Loan https://www.letsstartup.co.uk/ |
| Can You Help? Are you currently offering home delivery of food, essential supplies or takeaways? Please click here to give us details, which will be passed onto Eastbourne Borough Council for customers looking for home delivery. Is your business providing any support to other businesses – such as advice on HR, rent and mental health? Please click here to provide more details, which will be added to our website and social media. Is your business offering a home delivery of products? Please click here to provide more details, which will be added to our website and social media. Or are you doing something different to keep trading – such as online exercise classes, arts and crafts packs, delivery of items? Please click here to provide more details, which will be added to our website and social media. |
| Security Update Katy Bourne OBE has responded to our letter asking for additional police forces to protect businesses in the evening. You can read this here. |
| COBRA Meeting The Eastbourne COBRA meeting takes place tomorrow (Wednesday). Please let us know if there is an issue you would like us to raise. The action log from the last meeting can be found here. |
| Support for the Self Employed There is now a support package for the self-employed to match the package for furloughed employees. Effectively they will allow 80% of the profit earned on the last 3 years tax returns up to £2,500 per month. If you do not have 3 years tax returns they will accept what you have from 1 year’s tax return as a minimum. If you have not filed your tax return for 2018/19 due in January, you have 4 weeks to get it in; so act now. The good news is that self-employed individuals who are owner-managers and pay themselves a salary through PAYE will be eligible for support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Payment will be administered by HMRC and can be expected in June. For full details click here. For frequently asked questions about the scheme, click here. |
| Job Retention Scheme A furlough letter template is shown here for you to send to your staff: Furlough-Proposal-Job-Retention-Scheme-Template (1) The HMRC Portal should be available this month. Self-employed individuals who are owner-managers and pay themselves a salary through PAYE will be eligible for support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The latest guidance for this important government scheme is here. |
| Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs) Please supply us with any evidence of otherwise viable companies that have approached banks and have been either rejected or are having difficulties – please share the specific banks so they can be flagged. Email us your experience so that we may pass it on to Caroline Ansell MP to take up with the Treasury and British Business Bank. |
| And Finally… Following an enquiry from Your Eastbourne BID, we are delighted to confirm that the Town Hall Clock has been illuminated in blue to honour the fantastic work and sacrifice being made by the workers of the NHS, and the thousands of key workers across the town. Thank you to Eastbourne Borough Council for actioning this so quickly. |