ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS

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ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS

ADVICE LINKS

Government guidance for employers can be found here

Updated Furloughing information can be found here

SRA Guides- our expert advice on the current topics:

The Caterer has an advice hub here

Coronavirus: 5 things restaurant owners should do now,

Coronavirus Guide for the F&B Industry

  • London Eater writer Jonathan Nunn & Vaughn Tan have put together a guide for F&B, validated by epidemiologists & public health experts

Free personal development courses from Virtual Training:

  • Even while furloughed, staff may still be able to undertake training for personal development throughout their furloughed period
  • There are two free offers to help train and support your staff at this difficult time; including the offer of Free Courses & Resources, and a Free Learning Management System for three months

BUSINESS CHANGES

INSURANCE

  • The Government is advising that only those businesses with policies that cover pandemics or government ordered closure will be covered. But again, the advice is to check your policy and contact your insurer direct.
  • For more information, check the Government’s website which is being regularly updated here.

TAX

  • The Government has deferred VAT payments for three months (from 20 March-30 June 2020)
  • The Government has also deferred Income Tax payments for the self-employed, due in July 2020 to January 2021
  • No action is required unless you pay by direct debit, in which case you’ll need to cancel this
  • If you have outstanding tax liabilities contact HMRC through its Time to Pay offer scheme.

RENT

  • We are contacting a number of major landlords encouraging them to offer favourable terms.
  • Call your landlord this week to discuss the possibility of deferring rent payments.

PROTECTION FROM EVICTION

  • The Government has announced a moratorium on lease forfeitures until 30th June and this could be extended.
  • Tenants are still liable to pay rent but protected if unable to do so because of COVID-19.
  • Full details will be included in the Coronavirus Bill.

CASH GRANTS

  • Cash grants of up to £25,000 per property are available under the Retail and Hospitality Grant Scheme.
  • Businesses don’t need to do anything. Your local authority will write to you if you are eligible.
  • If you have a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or under, you’ll receive £10,000
  • If you have a property with a rateable value of between £15,000-£51,000, you’ll receive £25,000.

BUSINESS RATES

  • No hospitality business will have to pay business rates for 2020-2021 tax year.
  • Any hospitality business premises with a rateable value of £15,000 – £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.
  • These reliefs will be available from your local authority and they will have guidance by Friday 20 March.
  • If you pay less than £15,000 you are eligible for a one-off grant of £10,000. Your local authority will contact you directly about this.

You can use the business rates calculator to estimate the rates you will be not be paying

BUSINESS LOANS

  • Starting week beginning 26th March businesses can access loans of up to £5m from the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, delivered by British Business Bank. The first six month will be interest free. Read more
  • Businesses with a turnover of no more than £45m can access loans of up to £5m from the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, delivered by British Business Bank.
    • The first 12 months are interest free
    • The Govt will provide all of the major participating banks with an 80% guarantee on each loan
  • Contact your bank or one of the participating 40 providers and check out the full eligibility criteria on the British Bank website.

CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME

  • Which businesses are eligible? All UK employers can access support to continue paying employees that would otherwise have been laid off.
  • How to access? Contact your employees and notify them that they are being ‘furloughed’
  • Provide HMRC with details of furloughed employees including their earnings through an HMRC online portal (TBC).
  • What support is available? HMRC will cover 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to £2,500 per month.

STATUTORY SICK PAY

  • All SMEs – those employers with fewer than 250 employees – can reclaim Statutory Sick Pay for sickness absence due to COVID-19 for two weeks.
  • You’ll need to keep records of the absences but won’t require a GP note. You can find more details here.

FOOD AND CONTINUED SERVICE

DELIVERY OPTIONS

If you’re not already on one of the delivery platforms, the three major providers are all ready to work with restaurants looking find an alternative way of feeding their customers who don’t want to go out.

Handy price comparison here

SIGN UP TO:

Or you can customise your own model like Waterhouse in London who have moved to a Tap and Take model. Update: now closed.

FOOD REDISTRIBUTION & RESALE

While it may not be absolutely top of your list of priorities right now, we know you’d want to do everything you can to feed people and not bins, especially when many more people are struggling to feed people.

TOO GOOD TO GO
  • For any meals, prepped food, and wholefoods which are ready to be purchased, complete this form
  • They are also waiving their admin fee for temporary profiles so restaurants can get some return on their waste immediately
  • Too Good to Go have also launched #SupportLocal a new temporary not-for-profit feature that allows businesses to sell a special take-away menu through their app. Find out more here.
FARESHARE
  • For any wholefoods, or packaged foods with an ingredient line and + 3day expiry date, fill in the sheet attached and send to foodoffers@fareshare.org.uk.
  • If members of your team are able to volunteer, are based near a FareShare site or can drive, then they’d be welcome them with open arms. Call your local FareShare site.
OLIO
  • If you have any prepped food, or wholefoods with a life of less than three days expiry, fill in this form, and OLIO will be in touch regarding collection
  • Volunteers will come and take this produce off your hands.
COMPANY SHOP
  • Company Shop can help suppliers (and foodservice businesses) financially by purchasing their surplus.
  • They can take ingredients, stock not in finished packaging etc.
  • Company Shop serves a membership of NHS workers, emergency services and food supply chain with that stock – so pretty much all the people that are keeping the show on the road.
  • Email Jane.Marren@companyshop.co.uk or Steph.McGinty@companyshop.co.uk

 

These amazing redistribution businesses aim to get back to you ASAP to inform you if it’s something they can take, and the logistics to do this, however please appreciate their increased demands at present.