We hope you are staying well. Do get in touch if you have questions, comments or ideas about any of the items in this newsletter, or anything else to do with the Earls Court Business Forum.
COVID-19 updates and information on grants
The situation continues to change fast, so here is a quick round up for businesses in Earls Court.
Tier 2 restrictions
London has entered Tier 2 restrictions. This means:
retail can open in a COVID-secure manner
hotels can open in a COVID-secure manner
Pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants
Hospitality businesses can only serve alcohol if it is alongside a substantial meal
The 10pm curfew on establishments selling alcohol has been amended so that last orders must be by 10pm but the establishment may remain open for its customers until 11pm
Support grants for closed businesses
Details have now been released and apply from 5th November. They depend on whether a business has been forced to close or whether it is allowed to open but impacted. Grants are focused on retailers, leisure and hospitality businesses that were forced to close during the national lockdown. Grants for businesses who have been forced to close will be:
£1,334 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of £15k or under
£2,000 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of between £15k and £51k
£3,000 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of over £51k
You will need to apply for the grant from RBKC. Find out more and apply here.
Support grants for open but impacted businesses
These were announced on 22nd October to support severely impacted businesses in Tier 2 regions who are allowed to open but are impacted. Grant levels will be:
£934 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of £15k or under
£1,400 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of between £15k and £51k
£2,100 per 28 days of restrictions for businesses with RVs of over £51k
You will need to apply for this grant and you will be asked for evidence of severe impact. An application form will be made available on the RBKC website soon.
Additional support
An additional one-off grant has been provided to the Council to support other businesses at its discretion. A key decision will be made shortly about the eligibility criteria for this. It will seek to support businesses that cannot access other forms of support within the parameters of government guidance.
Keep checking the RBKC website for more information.
Shop opening hours extended
The government have also announced the ability for local authorities to extend opening hours for retailers to round-the-clock. Retailers in RBKC are able to take advantage of this extension.
Ask your questions about post-Brexit trade
The RBKC Chamber of Commerce are holding a free Q&A session with the Rt Hon Greg Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham and the Minister of State for Trade Policy in the Department for International Trade.
This is an opportunity to ask questions about international trade post-Brexit.
The next Business Forum steering group will be on Tuesday 8th December, 14:30, on Zoom. We will be discussing cleaning projects, the outcomes from the Earls Court Food Festival, joint procurement to save businesses money, and other items.
Get in touch if you are interested in joining the Steering Group
