Prime Minister’s Announcement – Plan B Measures to be Lifted: On Wednesday 19 January, the Prime Minister announced that restrictions currently in place against the emergence of the COVID variant Omicron in England will be lifted following a review of Plan B measures. This means:
- As of Wednesday 19 January, the work from home guidance has been lifted. People should speak to their employers about arrangements for returning to the office.
- From Thursday 27 January, it will no longer be mandatory to wear face coverings in most indoor settings. It is recommended to continue wearing face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with people you don’t usually meet.
- From Thursday 27 January, venues and events will no longer be required by law to check visitors’ NHS COVID Pass. Organisations can voluntarily choose to continue to use the NHS COVID Pass.
- Some measures will remain in place, including those on self-isolation.
Find out more about Plan B measures being removed.
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Westminster City Council Shortlisted for Award: We’re delighted to say that Westminster City Council has been shortlisted for this year’s Best All-Round Small Business Friendly Borough Award. Supported by the London Region of The Federation of Small Businesses and London Councils, the award celebrates local authority initiatives that are supporting small and micro businesses. The finalists and winner will be announced on 16 February.
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Round 4 of Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme Launches: We are committed to helping our business community during these challenging times. As part of that help, we have launched the fourth round of the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) which offers £10,000 per eligible business. This round of funding has been developed to Westminster businesses who have not previously received any COVID-19 grant support as well as the following business groups:
- Medical
- TV, Film and Media
- Language Schools
- Dry Cleaners/Laundrettes
Details on the new ARG-top up allocation will become available in this newsletter and on the council’s website in due course.
Westminster Hospitality and Leisure Recruitment Service – Call for Partners: We are seeking applications from suitable delivery partners or consortia to develop and deliver a sector-specific Hospitality and Leisure Recruitment Service for these businesses in the City of Westminster. The service will provide tailored recruitment support and can support hospitality and leisure businesses of any size/turnover, including hospitality businesses operating within retail premises.
As part of our ARG allocation, up to £1million will be made available to invest in vital infrastructure and to provide an innovative approach to supporting hospitality and leisure businesses to address recruitment challenges such as prolific skills shortages. It will also address the need to improve both awareness and appeal of careers in hospitality and leisure.
This is a unique opportunity for providers to work collaboratively with both the council and local stakeholders to support a sector which is of national importance, working with world renowned hospitality and leisure businesses, and vibrant, cutting-edge small enterprises.
To learn more, attend our grant funding Q&A session via MS Teams on 31 January from 11am till 12.30pm. Join by clicking the link.
To submit a bid for this funding as a delivery partner(s) or a consortia, click here.
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Government Announces Support for Businesses Affected by Omicron: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that businesses throughout the country impacted by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will be helped by a £1billion funding package. The core of the funding (£683million) will be targeted at the leisure and hospitality sectors with up to £6,000 per premises being available. There are three bands of support available, based on the rateable value (RV) of each eligible premises:
- For RV of £0-15k – grants of £2,700 are available.
- For RV of £15-51k – grants of £4,000 are available.
- For RV greater than £51k – grants of £6,000 are available.
Eligible businesses under this scheme will be contacted directly by the council in due course.
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Recruitment Begins for Amazon Training Programme: Applications are now open to Westminster residents for the next Amazon Web Services (AWS) re/Start programme. The council is the first local authority in the UK that Amazon has collaborated with on its global flagship cloud computing training programme known as Amazon Web Services (AWS) re/Start. This is a free, 12-week programme open to everyone. The deadline to apply is 31 January. To learn more, click here.
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Join the Interactive Event for Suppliers: Westminster’s Procurement and Commercial Services team is hosting an interactive event for suppliers at 1pm on 24 February, at The Royal Society, London. Participants will get a first-hand view of the council’s purchasing strategy and the pipeline of upcoming contracts.
Register your interest by emailing supplier.management@westminster.gov.uk and confirming your business name, sector and area of business, lead contact details and your current relationship with the council.
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SUPPORT FOR YOUR BUSINESS
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Find Business Grants and Funding Easier Than Ever: Introductory online training sessions on how to apply for grants are now available for businesses and community organisations based in the City of Westminster. Applications for grants are made via the Grantfinder online search tool which is supported by a dedicated team of experts. The tool, which can be accessed 24/7, provides users with notifications of local funding opportunities. Grants from a wide range of sponsors in the UK are verified and added daily. Participants will learn how to set up an account, run a search and produce reports. Businesses can book their ticket here and community organisations here. For further information, email externalfundingteam@westminster.gov.uk.
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Get Property Advice From the London Business Hub: After a successful launch in 2021, the London Business Hub property advice service programme is continuing to offer free masterclasses to micro, small and medium businesses in 2022. The programme, which helps businesses have a level playing field when dealing with commercial landlords is being run by London Business Partnership Ltd and international property consultants, Gerald Eve. Topics include lease negotiations, business rates, rent disputes and eviction. Masterclasses will be held on:
- 22 February, 10.30am – 12.30pm
- 5 April, 10.30am – 12.30pm
One-to-one sessions are also available. For more information and to register, visit the London Business Hub.
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For more information to advise and support your business, Westminster City Council, the UK Government and the community can help:
Whilst we are dealing with a greater volume of queries than usual, if you need bespoke advice, don’t hesitate to contact our Business Unit to get appropriate help. |
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