As you will know, government as announced that non-essential retail and hospitality services will be forced to close from 5 November – 2nd December, during a four-week national lockdown. It is possible that this might be extended further.
For the retail and hospitality industry, this news is appalling in the lead up to Christmas. Furlough has been extended during November and many businesses are seeking information on this - there is a simple guidance note below. The government will also give England-based firms up to £3,000 per month under the local restrictions support grant if their premises is forced to close. They can also apply for £1,000 for every furloughed employee kept on until at least the end of January, or £1,500 for each unemployed 16- to 24-year-old given a ‘‘high-quality’’ work placement for at least six months.
We will be addressing the new lockdown at this week’s virtual board meeting on Tuesday and will have a specific discussion group on the issue. The BID industry leaders are calling for immediate action, with a push for Government to fix the issues of the track and trace system, provide urgent reassurance for the survival of retail and food supply chains, and clearer and more focussed financial support for businesses.
Under the new restrictions, the message is clear that we must stay at home, with a number of exceptions detailed here. Takeaways, essential stores and click-and-collect shopping can remain open. We are keen to work with businesses to imporve the promotion and availability of click and collect. Many small local businesses can grow their click and collect if given the right help and advice and in Bedminster we already have the free service for BID businesses www.wearebs3.co.uk - please do get in touch with us if you wish to get your business selling online. We cannot underestimate the power of digital channels in these times.
If you would like a call with the BIDs team, we are a phone call away.
NOTE RE EXTENDED CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME - 1ST NOVEMBER 2020
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (also known as the furlough scheme) has been extended for a month and will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500.
Under the extended scheme, the cost for employers of retaining workers will be reduced compared to the current scheme, which ended on 31st October. This means the extended furlough scheme is more generous for employers than it was in October.
The Job Support Scheme, which was scheduled to come in on Sunday 1st November, has been postponed until the furlough scheme ends.
Job Retention Scheme
Employers small or large, charitable or non-profit, are eligible for the extended Job Retention Scheme, which will continue for a further month.
Businesses will have flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work on a part time basis or furlough them full-time, and will only be asked to cover National Insurance and employer pension contributions which, for the average claim, accounts for just 5% of total employment costs.
● This extended Job Retention Scheme will operate as the previous scheme did, with businesses being paid upfront to cover wages costs. There will be a short period when we need to change the legal terms of the scheme and update the system and businesses will be paid in arrears for that period.
● The CJRS is being extended until December. The level of the grant will mirror levels available under the CJRS in August, so the government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 and employers will pay employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and pension contributions only for the hours the employee does not work.
● As under the current CJRS, flexible furloughing will be allowed in addition to full-time furloughing.
● Further details, including how to claim this extended support through an updated claims service, will be provided shortly.
● The Job Support Scheme will be introduced following the end of the CJRS.
Who is eligible?
Employers
● All employers with a UK bank account and UK PAYE schemes can claim the grant. Neither the
employer nor the employee needs to have previously used the CJRS.
● The government expects that publicly funded organisations will not use the scheme, as has already been the case for CJRS, but partially publicly funded organisations may be eligible where their private revenues have been disrupted. All other eligibility requirements apply to these employers.
Employees
● To be eligible to be claimed for under this extension, employees must be on an employer’s PAYE payroll by 23:59 30th October 2020. This means a Real Time Information (RTI) submission notifying payment for that employee to HMRC must have been made on or before 30th October 2020.
As under the current CJRS rules:
● Employees can be on any type of contract. Employers will be able to agree any working arrangements with employees.
● Employers can claim the grant for the hours their employees are not working, calculated by reference to their usual hours worked in a claim period. Such calculations will broadly follow the same methodology as currently under the CJRS.
● When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours, employers will need to report and claim for a minimum period of 7 consecutive calendar days.
● Employers will need to report hours worked and the usual hours an employee would be expected to work in a claim period.
● For worked hours, employees will be paid by their employer subject to their employment contract and employers will be responsible for paying the tax and NICs due on those amounts.
What support is being provided and employer costs :
● For hours not worked by the employee, the government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500. The grant must be paid to the employee in full.
● Employers will pay employer NICs and pension contributions, and should continue to pay the employee for hours worked in the normal way.
● As with the current CJRS, employers are still able to choose to top up employee wages above the scheme grant at their own expense if they wish.
● The Government will confirm shortly when claims can first be made in respect of employee wage costs during November, but there will be no gap in eligibility for support between the previously announced end-date of CJRS and this extension.