A deal with the EU has been reached and businesses should take action now. 

A deal with the EU has been reached and businesses should take action to ensure that their business operations can run smoothly as new rules apply. Businesses should prioritise taking any actions as soon as possible in the new year. 

The links below provide more information to support business:

• Use the Brexit checker tool for a personalised list of actions.
• Sign up here for business readiness bulletins to receive important updates for your business.
• If you move goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland, check the latest Northern Ireland Protocol guidance here.
• For guidance on Rules of Origin see here. 
• For details of the new arrangements for hiring workers from the EU see here.
• For travelling to Europe check here and for passports here.
• For Data Protection and Data Flows check here.

Support for local businesses

We have awarded £11.56 million in grants to 1,033 businesses in Carlisle.

We continue to process government grants available for businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak with payments being made on a daily basis.

We have written to all eligible businesses within the Carlisle area and are urging businesses to contact us with the necessary information to allow us to process the remaining grants.

Within the letter they are asked to confirm some company details and send back the information electronically. We need this information to process the payment and to ensure that the funding goes to the right place. We want all eligible businesses to get access to the grants; we don’t want any business to miss out.

Once the information has been received, an email is sent to the business acknowledging that the information has been received. It is not necessary for them to make any further contact. If any additional information is needed or there are any queries, we will contact the business direct. Once the necessary information has been received, we aim to process the grants within five working days.

The grants have been provided to those businesses eligible for the government’s small business grant fund or the retail, leisure and hospitality grant. The level of grant is dependent on the rateable value of the business.

We have followed government guidance regarding the business grants and to ensure that all eligible businesses access the grants as quickly as possible, we have targeted our approach rather than asking businesses to apply. The government has made it clear that this is not an application process and that councils should be proactively contacting businesses that could access the funding.

Any business that has any concerns or has not received a letter, and thinks they are eligible, is asked to contact us by calling 01228 817234 or emailing [email protected]

In addition to the grants, we have also sent nil balance bills to businesses that are eligible for business rate relief under the expanded business rates relief scheme.

We are also promoting other grant and funding opportunities on our website - www.carlisle.gov.uk

We are also searching out other funding opportunities which we are also promoting to partners. Our website provides up-to-date information on the government funding and is regularly updated when new schemes or guidance is provided.

We are working closely with Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism and Carlisle Ambassadors to support local businesses.

The Government has taken further action to support firms affected by the coronavirus crisis by bolstering business interruption loans for small businesses and announcing a new scheme for larger companies.

Extended Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) 
The Government has extended the CBILS so that all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time. 

The government is also stopping lenders from requesting personal guarantees for loans under £250,000 and making operational changes to speed up lending approvals. The government will continue to cover the first twelve months of interest and fees.

Please find further details here: https://bit.ly/UpdatedCBILS

New Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)
The new CLBILS will ensure that more firms are able to benefit from government-backed support during this difficult time. It will provide a government guarantee of 80% to enable banks to make loans of up to £25 million to firms with an annual turnover of between £45 million and £500 million. 

Loans backed by a guarantee under CLBILS will be offered at commercial rates of interest and further details of the scheme will be announced later this month.

Please find initial details here: https://bit.ly/NewCLBIL

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Information about coronavirus and claiming benefits.

Guidance for employers and businesses.

Guidance for professionals helping people in education, transport and other sectors.

Advice for the general public.

The coronavirus action plan, a public guide to the UK’s plans to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

People Affected by COVID-19

Statutory Sick Pay

What the budget announces

• Extension of Statutory Sick Pay to self-isolators and those caring for self-isolators
• Can soon use NHS 111 to get a fit note at 7 days instead of going to the GP. (DWP/DHSC to set out more details soon).

How it works

• Paid by employers for up to 28 weeks to employees with average weekly earnings of at least £118 per week. Usually paid from 4th consecutive day of an absence (brought forward to 1st day for CV-19 cases).
• DWP and the NHS are urgently developing the alternative which will be available in the coming weeks. The alternative will enable people who are advised to self-isolate to obtain evidence via NHS111 that they can use as evidence for absence from work, where necessary. It will be a web-based summary which people can download.  Further details will be set out in due course, including provision for those who cannot access online services. 

Who is eligible

• Employees who earn over £118 per week from a single employer
• Doesn’t include: People earning less than £118 per week and self-employed people

Entitlement

• £94.25 per week
• (£95.85 from 6th April)

Universal Credit

What the budget announces

• For those directly affected or self-isolating due to Covid-19, Universal Credit advances will be available online / via phone (no attendance requirements)
• The Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed for those self-employed claimants directly affected by Covid-19 for the duration of the outbreak
• A carer could benefit if (1) they are self-employed and therefore subject to the MIF; and (2) the person they care for has been advised to self-isolate (or they themselves are advised to self-isolate).&nb

Cumbria Innovations Platform together with The Entrepreneurs Group are holding their 4^th Innovation Summit on Friday 20^th March 2020 9am – 4 pm at Whitehaven Golf Club.  The theme for this event is Innovators and Entrepreneurs and the purpose of the event is to provide local businesses and anyone thinking of starting up a new venture with the opportunity to hear from successful businesses and entrepreneurs.
 
Our speakers have been chosen specifically for their experience of operating in Cumbria and West Cumbria in particular.  Each of our inspirational speakers has a story to share about the challenges of starting out and how they have overcome those challenges to be successful. 

• Jo Corbishley - Jo Corbishley Leadership
• Lee Grears - Responsive Ltd
• Stuart MacLennan – Cows & Co

Our key note speaker, Toby McCartney, is an entrepreneur with a difference. Toby’s latest venture is one that is solving two world problems; the abundance of single use plastic filling landfill sites and our oceans, and the repairs of our world road surfaces ( see more at www.macrebur.com )
 
We will be joined by Jamie Reed, Head of Corporate Affairs – Sellafield, who will update us on the changing local economic landscape, the priorities and opportunities for innovation within the nuclear supply chain.
 
Throughout the afternoon there will be a series of workshops on the following themes:

• The Entrepreneur mind-set – what it takes to succeed
• Building Resilience & Staying Motivated
• Finance for start-ups and innovation
• How to write a great business case and apply for funding

This is a free to attend event that you can't afford to miss, so don't, click here and register today.