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Covid-19 Advice and Support

Event Date: 
February, 2021

Food Drink Devon will keep this page up-to-date with links to useful and relevant Covid-19 advice and support.

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APRIL 2021

GOV.UK:

VISIT BRITAIN:

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KEY DATES - ROADMAP OUT OF LOCKDOWN

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL

Step one, part two - Monday 29 March:

  • Outdoor gatherings - evidence shows that it is safer for people to meet outdoors rather than indoors, so from 29 March, when most schools start to break up for the Easter holidays, outdoor gatherings (including in private gardens) of either up to six people or two households, socially distanced, will be allowed.
  • Outdoor sports - outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools, can reopen, and people will be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.

The ‘stay at home’ order will end on 29 March but many restrictions will remain in place.

Travel outside the local area is allowed, but people are encouraged not to go too far.

People should continue to work from home where they can and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible, avoiding travel at the busiest times and routes.

Step two - No earlier than Monday 12 April:

  • Non-essential retail - non-essential shops and personal care premises such as hairdressers and nail salons can reopen.
  • Outdoor hospitality - pubs and restaurants can reopen outdoor tables and beer gardens for households and groups of up to six people. Customers will have to be seated but there will be no need to have a meal with alcohol and no curfew.
  • Indoor leisure facilities - gyms and swimming pools will reopen, but only for people to use alone or with members of their household.
  • Outdoor attractions - places like zoos and theme parks will reopen with social distancing rules and limits on outdoor mixing.
  • Holidays - self-contained holiday accommodation (including campsites), where indoor facilities are not shared with others can reopen for individuals and household groups only.
  • Public buildings - libraries and community centres can reopen with social distancing measures and no indoor mixing between households.
  • Life events - up to 15 people can attend weddings, receptions and commemorative events such as wakes.

Step three - no earlier than Monday 17 May

  • Outdoor gatherings - most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted, although gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal.
  • Meeting indoors - the rule of six or two households will apply indoors, both in public places and at home.
  • Hugging - the government will update the advice on social distancing between friends and family, including hugging. But until this point, people should continue to keep their distance from anyone not in their household or support bubble.
  • Indoor hospitality - pubs and restaurants will reopen their indoor areas. They will not have to serve a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks, nor will there be a curfew, but customers will have to order, eat and drink while seated.
  • Indoor entertainment - venues such as cinemas and children’s play areas can reopen.
  • Holidays - the rest of the accommodation sector, including hotels, hostels and B&Bs can open.
  • Life events - up to 30 people can attend weddings, receptions, funerals, wakes and other life events such as bar mitzvahs and christenings.
  • Exercise - indoor adult group sports and exercise classes can take place.
  • Businesses reopen - most businesses in all but the highest risk sectors will be able to reopen. In all sectors, COVID-Secure guidance will remain in place and businesses may not cater for groups bigger than the legal limits. (30 outside and rule of six or two households inside)
  • Large organised events - sporting events, concerts, theatres and conferences can go ahead with capacity limits.

Step four - no earlier than Monday 21 June

  • Social contact - the government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact.
  • Businesses - remaining businesses such as nightclubs can reopen.
  • Life events - legal limits on the number of people attending life events such as weddings and funerals are lifted.
  • Large events - restrictions on large events and performances eased.
  • Holidays - international travel permitted.

For now...

As we move through each of these phases in the roadmap, we must all remember that COVID-19 remains a part of our lives.

For the time being, we are going to have to keep living our lives differently to keep ourselves and others safe.

For now...we must:

  • Carry on with ‘hands, face, space’.
  • Comply with the current lockdown restrictions.
  • Get tested when needed.
  • Get vaccinated when offered.

If we all continue to play our part, we will be that bit closer to a future that is more familiar. Carry on carrying on, and do it for Devon!

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MARCH 2021

GOV.UK/ DEFRA (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)​

Forthcoming Grant deadlines:

FEBRUARY 2021

VISIT BRITAIN/VISIT ENGLAND

GOV.UK/ DEFRA (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)​

FCA (Financial Conduct Authority)

Business Representative Organisations and Trade Associations are providing coronavirus related support for the Food Supply sector:

British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) - BBPA represents, supports and campaigns for the wellbeing of the beer and pub sector. Visit the BBPA website for more coronavirus related information.

British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) - BFFF is the UK’s frozen food trade association, with members comprising Producers, Wholesalers, Importers, Exporters, Brokers, Retailers and related Associate businesses. Visit the BFFF website for more information.

British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) -  BSDA is a trade association representing the interests of producers and manufacturers of soft drinks to the UK and devolved governments. Visit the BSDA coronavirus page for more information.

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) - FWD is a trade association representing the interests of food and drink wholesalers to the UK and devolved governments. Visit the FWD COVID-19 support page for more coronavirus related information or contact [email protected]. For more information on how to redistribute food to those in critical need, please visit Food2Care.

Food & Drink Exporters Association - Food & Drink Exporters Association promotes UK food and drink companies to the international buying community and represent the interest of exporters to the UK government. Visit the Food & Drink Exporters Association website for more coronavirus related information.

Food and Drink Federation (FDF) - FDF represents businesses in the UK food and drink industry and key players in the food chain. Email [email protected] for more information.

Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) - The SWA drives the best possible global business environment for Scotch Whisky. Visit the SWA website for more coronavirus related information.

Soil Association - The Soil Association is the membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. Visit the Soil Association website for more coronavirus related information.

Wines of Great Britain (WineGB) - WineGB is the national association for the English and Welsh wine industry. WineGB’s mission is to advance the multiple interests of all its members to establish Great Britain as one of the world’s great quality wine regions. Visit the WineGB website for more coronavirus related information.

Wine & Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) - The WSTA represents companies producing, importing, exporting, transporting and selling wines and spirits in the United Kingdom. Visit the WSTA website for more coronavirus related information.

JANUARY 2021

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

Due to Coronavirus cases rising rapidly, the Governement has announced a third national lockdown to begin on 5th January 2021.

Prime Minister announces national lockdown

£4.6 billion in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs - Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000, the Chancellor has announced.

Environment Secretary's letter to the food and drink industry - Environment Secretary George Eustice has written an open letter to all those working in the food and drink supply chains

Self Assesment

Updated information

National Lockdown

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Visit Britain

COVID-19 (new coronavirus) - latest information and advice for businesses - the latest tourism-related news and information for UK tourism businesses on the outbreak of COVID-19, including links to useful information and advice. 

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Devon County Council

Coronavirus Advice in Devon

  • Train4Tomorrow - #Train4Tomorrow offers free, high quality, digital and technical training to employed and unemployed adults. Please visit the website to find out more.

Peplows (www.peplows.co.uk/news)

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2020

DECEMBER

Devon County Council

  • Gap Grant Scheme - The Gap Grant Scheme is a specialist grant scheme designed to assist businesses facing severe financial difficulty due to cash-flow issues.
  • Tier 2 Grants - A new scheme for businesses severely impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions is currently being developed. 

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Coronavirus Advice in Devon

Support from Devon County Council

Support from local organisations

Government schemes and other funds for businesses

  • Click here to view the various schemes and funds available

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

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NOVEMBER

Devon County Council

Legislation.gov.uk (www.legislation.gov.uk)

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

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OCTOBER

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

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SEPTEMBER

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)

  1. Restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services
  2. Hotels and other guest accommodation
  3. The visitor economy

Devon County Council (www.devonnewscentre.info)

HSE (www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm)

PHE (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england)

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AUGUST

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/coronavirus)

Devon County Council

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JULY

GOV.UK - www.gov.uk/coronavirus

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Links to Business Grants in your area:

Click on the links below to find out about the (area specific) grants and other support for your business:

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GREAT:

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Devon County Council:

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Information Commissioner's Office:

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GOV.UK - Reopening Safely:

Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) - updated

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Visit Britain:

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Sustainable Restaurant Association:

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JUNE

GOV.UK:

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Food Standards Agency:

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Visit England:

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Devon County Council:

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South Hams District Council:

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BBfA:

COVID-19 Toolkit - Considerations for restarting your business safely

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PASC UK:

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British Business Banks:

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Acas:

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Health and Safety Executive:

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MAY

GOV.UK:

Don't forget to check out ' The Skills Toolkit' - theskillstoolkit.campaign.gov.uk/

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Food Standards Agency:

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Stephens Scown:

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Devon County Council:

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April

GOV.UK:

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DEFRA:

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SWBSS:

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Stephens Scown:

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Stephens Scown:

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HSE:

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The Rockefeller Foundation:

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DEFRA:

Job Retention Scheme guidance

HMRC has published further guidance for employees to check if their employer can use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Updated guidance on grants for self-employed people

HMRC has updated guidance on how to claim a grant through the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and published guidance on how total income and trading profits are calculated for the scheme.

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VisitBritain | VisitEngland:

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Devon County Council - Funding News:

Devon County Council continues to update its dedicated webpage listing the grants that have been launched for organisations and individuals in need of financial support as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading →

Social Entrepreneurs Programme

Grants and support for people starting up or developing a social or community enterprise Continue reading →

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Food Standards Agency:

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Stephens Scown:

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Peplows Chartered Accountants:

Mind Map and Toolkit - detailing the range of support available depending on criteria such as business structure and sector.

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The latest news from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs:

At this busy time, Government communications are increasing to ensure that stakeholders are aware of updated guidance. As a result, you may have received the information below from different sources.

Latest guidance from Public Health England can be found here.

#FoodHeroes

Defra has posted a new video highlighting that many food and drink businesses are still open and delivering to homes.

Please share or highlight your own examples of hidden heroes using #FoodHeroes.

Latest Government press conference

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove has hosted today’s #coronavirus press conference (04 April 2020).

Material published by Public Health England

Public Health England update a daily dashboard later the same day, to show trends in UK data on positive tests and deaths and to provide confirmed cases in each local authority and NHS region in England.

Coronavirus: Latest retailer activity

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is providing a daily update on the actions taken by retailers to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic.

You can read today’s update on the BRC website.

COVID-19: guidance for employees, employers and businesses

Organisations should pay particular attention to the guidance for employees, employers and businesses which is being updated regularly with the latest advice.

There is also separate information for businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

UK Hospitality guidance

UK Hospitality is providing detailed guidance and an FAQ for members of the hospitality industry, as well as a daily newsletter.

Business impact reporting for farmers and growers

The NFU is gathering information on the impact of coronavirus on the agricultural and horticultural industries across the UK.

Farmers and growers can provide information on any business-critical issues they have encountered, or expect to encounter, which will then be used in an anonymised format to flag the key issues agriculture and horticulture are facing to government on a daily basis.

You can provide this information on the NFU website.

Please continue to send your sector insight to [email protected]

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Heart of the South West Growth Hub support: regularly updated with Covid-19 support for businesses - www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/covid-19-support-for-business/

There are a number of surveys underway to measure effects and to capture data so that helpful interventions can be made. The Government one is available here: www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-from-business
 
And the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service is carrying out a survey specifically about the manufacturing sector until 17 April: survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/dMB8VI
 
Farmers and growers can provide information on business critical issues on the NFU Covid-19 Impact Form and we’ll be issuing our next Quarterly Economic Survey shortly in partnership with the business representative organisations.

To receive regular updates from the Heart of the SW Growth Hub, please sign up to their newsletter at the bottom of their homepage here: heartofswlep.co.uk/

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Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy:

Coronavirus support from Business Representative Organisations and Trade Associations...

Business Representative Organisations and Trade Associations are providing coronavirus related support for specific sectors.

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Devon County Council:

Information about grant and funding support 

In addition to the grants that they are making available, there are other grants for care workers, community organisations, businesses and individuals, charities, hospitality industry, sports sector, and grants for the arts industry. Devon County Council have brought information about all of them together on their coronavirus webpages.

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Plymouth County Council:

Thousands apply for business grants

Since writing to all businesses eligible for the new Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Fund last week, Plymouth County Council have received nearly 2,300 completed submissions.

The funds offer grants of up to £25,000 to help businesses through the coronavirus pandemic. They've paid out £18 million so far and are aiming to make all payments within two weeks of receiving the request.  

Plymouth County Council are also running a dedicated helpline to support businesses who haven’t received a letter, or who are unable to access their business premises but believe they are eligible for the grants. You can find more details, including eligibility criteria, on the Invest in Plymouth website.

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Visit England/Visit Britain:

The Chancellor has today announced the following:

  • An extension of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to ensure all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, rather than 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 has also announced it will be stopping lenders from requesting personal guarantees for loans under £250,000, and will be making changes to speed up approvals.
  • The Government will continue to cover the first 12 months of interest fees. 
  • A new Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) 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. 

The full announcement can be read here. We will share any further information and updates on these schemes as they become available. 

Additional recent Government announcements include: 

  • The Business rates: expanded retail discount – guidance has been updated to confirm that the government’s assessment that the expanded retail discount is not a state aid, and that local authorities should therefore award relief to all eligible properties. 

Further to this, the Local Government Association and the Tourism Alliance have identified some tourism businesses that are not explicitly mentioned in the business rates relief guidance, but it is felt that they fall into the intended category. Councils are being asked to give consideration to the premises listed below for inclusion in their local schemes:

  • Amusement arcades
  • Vehicle rental sites
  • Conference and exhibition venues
  • Travel and tour operators
  • Tourism Information Centres
  • Tourism Boards/Destination Management Organisations
  • Coach operators
  • English language schools
  • Travel/hospitality industry charities (offices)
  • Marinas/boat hire/passenger boat facilities

£50 million Heritage Emergency Fund launched

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has put together a £50 million fund to support the heritage sector as an immediate response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.   

It is available to organisations across the full breadth of the heritage sector, including historic sites, industrial and maritime heritage, museums, libraries and archives, parks and gardens, landscapes and nature. 

Local Growth Hubs

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is encouraging businesses across England to contact their local Growth Hub, which can provide a free to use, impartial and local single point of contact to all businesses so that they can access the right advice and support. The hubs can advise businesses on local and national business support including schemes in place to help businesses through the current COVID-19 situation. Find your local Growth Hub. 

Upcoming business support webinars

UK Government’s Business Support website has a list of upcoming webinar events from government and non-government partners. 

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are delivering a programme of webinars on measures to support employers, employees and the self-employed through this period of disruption. You can watch a video of the recorded webinar on the HMRC YouTube channel Coronavirus – (COVID-19): helping employers to support employees.

With best wishes from the team at VisitBritain/VisitEngland.

See all Covid-19 updates for businesses

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Food Made Good

Regular updates are available here.

Food Made Good hosted a Webinar: Delivery Made Good. You can listen to this or read the summary here. 

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March

Government advice and support:

Letter from the Environment Secretary to the food and drink industry

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AHBD:

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Visit Britain/ Visit England:

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Stephens Scown:

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Government advice and support:

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Visit Britain and Visit England have a new section on their Business Advice Hub dedicated to supporting tourism and event business affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.​ 

You can also join their new social marketing activity to remind visitors of Britain with inspirational content including food & drink (British recipes from iconic restaurants, food traditions and culture, pubs).

For the most up to date advice and support from the government, please continue to visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

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Heart of the South West Growth Hub support:

The LEP is working hard with key partners in Government, Local Authorities, Business Representative Organisations and other agencies to support businesses through the unprecedented health and economic shock we are facing due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
 
The Heart of the South West Growth Hub is being promoted as a single point of contact for all advice and guidance, and its website is continually update as new information comes in about the measures and support packages that are emerging from Government.
 
Details on specific financial packages, eligibility and processes for applying are still being developed.
 
At the same time local and free support and assistance is being offered by local partners and they are including details and links to these schemes on the Growth Hub website.
 
The Growth Hub team have capacity and interim support has been put into place by LEP partners to ensure increased volumes of enquiries can be managed. Longer term capacity is also being reviewed considering the budget announcement of more funding for Growth Hubs.
 
Updates and communications on latest advice will also begin shortly from the Growth Hub and businesses can sign up to receive this service. In the meantime, the Growth Hub’s contact details are:

Website: www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03456 047 047

And regular updates on relevant themes are being promoted through the LEP’s main Twitter accounts: @HeartofSWLEP @GrowthHubHotSW @HotSWSkillsCareers and on LinkedIn.
 
The LEP and its partners are also collating through the Growth Hub real-time local impacts on businesses from the pandemic to escalate key issues straight to Government, and advise them on what additional support and measures that are needed.
 
For example, they are setting up conversations with key sectors including food production; tourism; nuclear; maritime; aviation; digital.
  
They are also seeking clarity on the current mechanisms and support being announced.

Digital Skills

The HotSW DSP have recently published updated information including advice to business on remote working, useful tools and resources to support staff’s digital competency to use digital solutions. This information will be updated regularly as new resources and webinars come online, viewed either through the newsletter (sign up at the bottom of their website) or Growth Hub website.

Find out more.

You can sign up for future Digital Skills Partnership newsletters.

Sign up.

Heart of the South West Virtual Careers Fairs

The HotSW Skills and Careers team have put together a set of resources to help employees in businesses adversely affected by COVID-19, as well as those who recently lost their jobs by two major employers in our area – Flybe and Axminister Carpets – going into administration. There is new information on the LEP’s website published today, and to be updated as further resources come in from our partners in all Heart of the South West areas.

Visit Virtual Careers Fairs web pages.