SCC Network April Coronavirus Survey Tracker Following on from today’s publication of the April SCC Network Coronavirus Tracker Survey results, we are pleased to share below the extensive Media Coverage achieved today.
We thank you for your support on this important work that helps to shape our messaging and our ongoing discussions with government. We will be issuing the Phase 4 Tracker next week which will focus on Economic & Business Recovery.
Once again, thanks for your support and if you have any feedback or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact ccampbell@scottishchambers.org.uk
SCC Engagement with Scottish Government SCC were notified by the Scottish Government in communications today regarding technical issues with the new application systems that went live yesterday – specifically with the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund & the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund – that have now been resolved and that a “first come first serve” criteria for applicants will now not be applied. All applications will be assessed equally on Monday.
SCC would like to share an update on the latest developments from its weekly call with the Scottish Government and other business organisations.
KEY POINTS
ACTIONS
Business Support Fund Grant Statistics At close 28th April 2020, Local Authorities (LAs) report over 74,000 applications have been received for the two business grant schemes across Scotland. Of these applications, 45,387 grants valuing £526m have been awarded. The table below summarises the weekly progress of the business grant schemes so far:
Information on grants will be updated on a weekly basis.
Table: Cumulative Total number of Applications and Grants Paid by week: Background
This grant support is worth over £1 billion to business, and is part of the wider business support package worth over £2.2 billion.
The Scottish Government have made eligibility for the grant schemes linked to the non-domestic rates system:
A £10,000 grant is available to non-domestic ratepayers with properties in receipt of:
A £25,000 grant is available to the ratepayers of properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with property with a rateable value between £18,001 - £51,000.
This grant is targeted at supporting small businesses, and those medium sized businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, who are liable for non-domestic rates in order to maximise the number of businesses we can support. Charities are also eligible for the grant funding.
Applications for grants on additional properties will be open from 5 May 2020. In addition to the 100% grant on the first property, ratepayers will also be eligible for a 75% grant on each subsequent property that meets the criteria for each grant.
Scottish Government Publishes Covid-19 Construction Sector Guidance *This guidance is for the construction sector. It came into effect on 6 April 2020 and extends until further notice. Companies should consider their operations in light of this guidance.
This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Scottish Government’s business and social distancing guidance. It provides further guidance for the construction sector to help businesses determine what constitutes ‘essential’ work that may be able to continue. No non-essential work should continue at this time.
WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL PROJECTS?
WHAT ARE NON—ESSENTIAL SERVICES?
FCA Seeks Legal Clarity on Business Interruption Insurance The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced it intends to seek legal clarity on business interruption (BI) insurance to resolve doubt for businesses who are facing uncertainty on their claims.
It is also proposing a series of measures to support both consumers and businesses who hold insurance products and who are facing other issues as a result of coronavirus (Covid-19). The package of measures sets out the FCA’s expectations that insurance firms should consider whether their products still offer value to customers in the current situation and whether they can be doing more for those suffering a financial impact because of coronavirus.
Business interruption insurance The FCA is publishing a separate statement today on BI insurance. It outlines that the FCA intends to seek a court declaration, on an agreed and urgent basis, to resolve uncertainty for many customers making BI claims, and the basis on which firms are making decisions to accept claims.
The FCA is seeking to bring to court what it believes are the key relevant cases which provide the greatest clarity on specific policy clauses as soon as possible to get an independent view on these disputed BI insurance policies if there remains unresolved uncertainty. The cases placed before the court will be carefully chosen as a representative sample of the most frequently used policy wordings that are giving rise to uncertainty.
Insurance guidance The additional guidance proposals are designed to provide consumers with temporary support in the light of the exceptional circumstances arising from coronavirus and follow steps the FCA has taken in other markets such as credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans.
This package of measures sets out how the FCA expects insurance firms to:
Customers who are struggling to afford their insurance or premium finance payments as a result of the impact of coronavirus should contact their insurer to discuss options.
Webinar: Financial Support For Small Businesses During COVID-19 The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are hosting two free webinars on how small businesses can access the coronavirus business support measures which have been made available to UK Businesses, and how to manage your business during the coronavirus.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the webinar or can submit questions in advance to sed@beis.gov.uk before Tuesday 5 May.
To register for these webinars, follow the links below:
Key Statistics
Latest Coronavirus Statistics The daily update outlining the key statistics related to Covid-19 cases so far.
SCC Support Hub
The SCC Business Support Hub The Business Support Hub on the SCC website has been created to enable businesses to find useful information quickly.
The Hub is updated daily and includes information on business support, access to finance, contact numbers, public information and travel advice.
Key Links
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