Coronavirus

Who can I talk to? 

1. Talk to Business Wales. The Business Wales helpline number is 03000 6 03000. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 08:30am to 05:30pm. Check your funding eligibility on  https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales 
2. Talk to your landlord or facility provider to discuss your situation
3. Look online for local authority business grants https://businesswales.gov.wales/covid-19-grants 
4. Talk to HMRC, they have set up a helpline specifically for self-employed people and businesses struggling due to COVID-19. Call 0800 0159559
5. Talk to DAS Law for any legal advice 0117 933 0617.
6. Talk to Agility UK for any Health and Safety guidance 01527 571615
7. Talk to your insurance provider and check your policy wording.

8. DAS Law operate a free 24-7 counselling helpline for all members over 18. Any information shared will remain strictly confidential between DAS Law and the member. 0117 934 2121

Talk to a member of the Welsh Gymnastics team, we are here to listen and advise as best as possible in this constantly changing situation. We will update you when we receive further advice or guidance as we work together to minimise the

The Welsh Government has introduced 2 separate grant schemes, the Non Domestic Rates(NDR) grant and the Economic Resilience Fund.

The Covid-19 non-domestic rates (NDR) grant schemes will be closing to new applications at 5pm on 30th June 2020. If you are eligible and you have not already applied, please ensure that you apply via your local authority before this date. Any applications received after 5pm on 30 June 2020 will not be considered.

For those making an application to the Welsh Government for grants, you should familiarise yourselves with the guidance available here.

1. Welsh Government Business Grants

The Welsh Government is working in partnership with local authorities to deliver the grants to qualifying businesses. This grant is for Business Rate paying premises only and is split into 2 parts:

Grant 1: A grant of £25,000 is being made available for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses occupying properties with a rateable value of between £12,001 and £51,000. This means businesses that occupy properties such as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas, live music venues, hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation.
 
Grant 2: A £10,000 grant to all businesses eligible for small business rates relief (SBRR) in Wales with a rateable value of £12,000 or less.

Please note that the multiple property restriction which applies to Small Business Rates Relief also applies to this grant. Therefore, the same ratepayer may only receive the grant for a maximum of two properties in each local authority area.

And

A £10,000 grant to all ratepayers eligible for charitable relief and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC) relief, operating in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors occupying properties with a rateable value of £12,000 or less. Local authorities have discretion to provide grants to not-for-profit bodies they consider to be operating for charitable purposes but aren’t currently receiving charitable relief or CASC relief. This discretion will only apply to not-for-profit organisations who are in receipt of or have entitlement to discretionary rates relief and operate in the retail, leisure or hospitality sectors.

The multiple property restriction applied to the Small Business Rates Relief scheme applies to this grant. Therefore the same ratepayer may only receive the grant for a maximum of two properties in each local authority. This multiple property restriction also applies to charities and CASC.

Further details of the Scheme and links to Local Authority Websites to apply is available here: COVID-19 Grants

2. Bounce Back Loans

The COVID-19 Bounce Back Loan Scheme enables businesses to obtain a six-year term loan at a government set interest rate of 2.5% a year. 

• up to £50,000 loan – loans will be from £2,000 up to 25% of a business’ turnover or £50,000, whichever is lower
• 100% guarantee – the scheme provides the lender with a government-backed, full guarantee (100%) against the outstanding facility balance, both capital and interest
• interest rate – the UK Government has set the interest rate for this facility at 2.5% per annum, meaning businesses will all benefit from the same, low rate of interest
• interest paid by the UK Government for 12 months – the UK government will make a Business Interruption Payment to the lenders to cover the first 12 months of interest payable, so businesses will benefit from no upfront costs

Firms will be able to access these loans through a network of accredited lenders.
Further details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

3. Economic Resilience Fund has been paused.

In its first week the second phase of the Economic Resilience Fund received almost 9,000 requests for support. Due to the scale of demand, Welsh Government increased the amount of funding for this phase to £300 million. 

The Fund is now paused following the very large number of applications to give Welsh Government an opportunity to consider what further support businesses, charities and social enterprises need.

For information on funds relating to the culture, creative and sports sector click here.

Support for Microbusinesses (Paused).

A grant of up to £10,000 is available to assist microbusinesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

This grant can only be claimed by businesses that meet the following criteria:

• employing between 1 and 9 employees (In addition to the business owner)
• operating address in Wales and have employees in Wales
• VAT registered or sector/business exempt from VAT with a turnover greater than £85k, details of VAT exemption can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-exemption-and-partial-exemption
• have experienced a drop in turnover greater than >40% as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak (since the 1 March 2020)
• supported businesses must aim to maintain employment for 12 months
• only one application per businesses
• businesses will need to provide:
  • details of reduction in turnover as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak
  • evidence of business address by providing VAT registration

The grant is available to microbusinesses that are not eligible for the Business Rate Grant or the support for self-employed grant.

Support for Small and Medium Sized Enterprise’s (SME’s) (Paused)

A grant of between £25,000 and £100,000 is available to assist qualifying SME’s(between 10 and 249 employees)

The grant can only be claimed by businesses that meet the following criteria:

• are VAT registered or sector/business exempt from VAT with a turnover greater than £85k, details of VAT exemption can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-exemption-and-partial-exemption
• are headquartered in Wales or have an operating address in Wales that has full decision-making autonomy
• have experienced a drop in turnover greater than 60% since 1st March 2020
• are able to demonstrate the business / organisation will be sustainable for at least 12 months with a sustainable business plan to trade out of crisis
• are viable entities able to confirm some access to funding to cover costs and can demonstrate attempts (successful or otherwise) to secure funding from wider sources (for example a bank, HMRC, Development Bank of Wales, UK Government loan facilities such as the Business Interruption Scheme or direct Bank of England support) before applying for this fund
• are able to confirm that funding from any other Welsh Government non-repayable COVID-19 grant funding source is not being pursued*
• are able to demonstrate that without additional support the viability of the enterprise will be under threat including the number of jobs this support protects
• undertake that for as long as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is in place, they will not make any future compulsory redundancies

Complete the COVID-19 support eligibility checker to make sure you are able to apply: https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/
Upon successful completion you will have a link to the online application.

4. Development Bank of Wales

For details of the financial support available from the Development Bank of Wales please visit their website:https://developmentbank.wales/

£100 million Development Bank of Wales loan scheme fully subscribed in first week

The COVID-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme is fully subscribed after more than 1,500 applications were received in just over one week.

The £100 million scheme was launched on Monday 30 March as part of the Welsh Government’s £500 million Economic Resilience Fund to support businesses in dealing with coronavirus outbreak.

The first loans were approved within three days of the fund launch, with the first loans reaching applicants by the end of last week.

5. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis, all UK businesses are eligible.

To access the scheme businesses will need to:

• designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
• submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal, this portal is not yet in place and we will publish details as soon as they are available (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)

HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. The scheme has been extended until the end of October. 

6. Business Interruption Loan Scheme

A new temporary Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, covering a variety of different products such as loans, overdraft, invoice finance and asset finance, delivered by the British Business Bank, has launched on the 23 March to support primarily small and medium sized businesses to access bank lending and overdrafts. The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. The government will not charge businesses or banks for this guarantee, and the Scheme will support loans of up to £5 million in value. Businesses can access the first 12 months of that finance interest free, as government will cover the first 12 months of interest payments.

Further details can be found at: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils/

7. Apply for the coronavirus Future Fund

The Future Fund will provide government loans to UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5 million, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors.

These convertible loans may be a suitable option for businesses that rely on equity investment and are unable to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

The fund will be delivered in partnership with the British Business Bank.

You’re eligible if your business:

• is based in the UK
• can attract the equivalent match funding from third-party private investors and institutions
• has previously raised at least £250,000 in equity investment from third-party investors in the last 5 years

The fund will open to applications on 20 May 2020, please visit the GOV.UK website for further details.

More detailed guidance is available on the British Business Bank website.

8. WCVA

The Third sector resilience fund for Wales is officially open. The fund will provide cash flow support for voluntary organisations in Wales during the current Covid-19 crisis. Find out more click here.

9. Protection for business who miss rent payments

Commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent because of coronavirus will be protected from eviction, the UK government has announced. These measures will mean no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment in the next 3 months. Please visit the GOV.UK  website for further information

10. Social Investment Cymru

This WCVA project is offering fast track emergency loans to help voluntary organisations through the worst of the impacts, while those with existing loans are being given the option to defer payments for a time.

If you’d like to apply for an Emergency fast-track loan or amend your existing loan repayments, please contact the SIC team on sic@wvca.cymru or 0300 111 0124.

Emergency Relief Fund

Welsh Government and Sport Wales have announced that they are making £400’000 immediately available to provide support to not-for-profit sport clubs. 

Sport Wales aims to deliver immediate funding to clubs who are already facing significant challenges after a difficult few weeks and who are likely to need immediate financial support over the next 12 weeks if they are to remain an important part of their communities.  Each eligible club will be able to apply for a maximum of £5000.  

Apply Now

Further details on eligibility and criteria is available on the Sport Wales website. 

Update on Sport Wales Funding 

With Welsh sport feeling the impact of the Coronavirus lockdown, some short-term changes are being made to our community grants schemes.

As a temporary measure, the Emergency Relief Fund will be the sole focus for community grants. This will allow us to focus our support on helping clubs across Wales survive during these significantly challenging times. 

This decision is based on feedback from clubs and our partners who have outlined to us the immediate help they need most at the moment, as well as the wider restrictions currently in place due to COVID-19, which are making it unlikely that any new sports development activity can take place. 

Nearly 10% of Wales’ community sport clubs have already applied for emergency funding, with applications currently being processed as quickly as possible.

This means, for the time being, community clubs will no longer be able to apply for any other grants or funding including Community Chest and Development Grants. We would encourage anyone looking for immediate support to apply to the Emergency Relief Fund. 

Other funding opportunities are being developed and will be communicated as soon as possible. 

Sport Wales have also added a Coronavirus page to  Club Solutions  containing guidance, toolkits and case studies. This page will be regularly updated by Sport Wales.

https://www.sport.wales/media-centre/latest-news/2020-03-24-400000-emergency-fund-for-sport-announced-by-welsh-government-and-sport-wales/ 

These are unprecedented times for us as a society and whether you are self-employed or a business owner, COVID-19 will be causing a level of uncertainty. However, now more than ever, we should take steps to take care of our mental health and those of our employees. 

There is a wealth of support available to you online:

NHS 5 ways to Wellbeing

The NHS lists five simple things we can all do to give our wellbeing a boost.

The Five ways to wellbeing are a set of evidence-based messages aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of the whole population. They were developed by the New Economics Foundation from evidence gathered in the Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing project (2008).
The five ways are:

• Take Notice
• Connect
• Be active
• Keep learning
• Give

C.A.L.L Helpline

C.A.L.L offers emotional support and information/literature on Mental Health and related matters to the people of Wales. Anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend can access the service. C.A.L.L. Helpline offers a confidential listening and support service.

Telephone: 0800 132 737

The Samaritans

Samaritans offer a plethora of help and support via their call centre and email provisions.

Telephone: 116 123
Telephone Welsh Language service: 0808 164 0123
E-mail: jo@samaritans.org

Write a letter:
Chris 
Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK 
PO Box 9090 
STIRLINGFK8 2SA

We wanted to provide some support and clarity to you on providing activity to your members during this time of closure and the implications on your club insurance.

We appreciate that this extraordinary time of government restrictions means that our clubs are having to be creative in engaging with members and driving activity and fitness to the amazing participants of our sport.

From next week, British and Welsh Gymnastics be launching some exclusive activity content for you to share with your gymnasts to make sure they are still taking part while they’re at home. The kind of activity we have created is fun, fitness and conditioning based with challenges that gymnasts can test themselves against, and new activities will be added every week. We have created activities across three levels of beginner, intermediate and advanced to make sure we are catering for all gymnasts in a safe way.

Insurance for home activity

We want to make sure that you are protected as clubs and coaches, and the activities you are suggesting to your gymnasts are safe at this time. All virtual or digital activity should only be based around fitness, conditioning and flexibility and you should be making sure your gymnasts are being as safe as they can whilst working. From an insurance perspective, activity that is based around these principles, and any content Welsh or British Gymnastics has created or endorsed will be covered by your club’s insurance policy, even though the activity is taking place at home. Practicing skills, coaching skills or providing developmental programmes will not be covered.

  There are some safety measures that you should also be providing to your gymnasts:

• Making sure gymnasts have enough space around them before starting
• Making sure they understand their physical and mental limits 
• Making sure challenge-based activity is focused on the gymnast challenging their personal best rather than being compared to others
• Making sure participation is at the same level it would be during a normal week i.e. not doing hours of activity every day if they only take part once or twice per week normally
• If you are doing live social media activity, please make sure that you cater for the spectrum of ability that may be watching

Safety is absolutely paramount in our sport and we all need to continue to keep gymnast safety at the forefront of our minds.

Safeguarding home activity

We want you and your gymnasts to be protected whilst interacting from home, so it’s important to remember the following: 

• Welsh and British Gymnastics members in a position of trust and/or responsibility, including coaches and welfare officers (as defined in the British Gymnastics Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy) should not be in contact with any young people under 18, through any social networking sites whether the young person is a member of their club or any other club unless parents give consent for such activity to take place. So, as long as a parent is involved, consents, and is aware of such coaching activities taking place over social media channels then that is acceptable.

• You should always ensure that another adult such as a parent or another club official is included in an online conversation with a member who is under 18 or is an adult at risk.

• There are some very helpful resources available online to help you safeguard children and protect yourself online. Here are some we’d recommend:
  - The NSPCC have produced guidance for remote teaching
  - The CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) Education team have launched - #OnlineSafetyAtHome and provide information on how to support children online

Key points to remember when conducting online meetings

The Key points are:

1. Do not advertise any meeting publicly.
2. Only invite people that are known to the host.
3. All meetings must have an ID and Password – Do not advertise these.
4. Only send the Meeting ID and Password to the intended recipients just before the meeting.
5. The host is to ensure that they control/lock the meeting to prevent unauthorised access.
6. The host should be the only person able to share material during the meeting.

We hope that you are able stay connected with your participants during this difficult time and are able to continue playing your part in encouraging the importance of exercise on their physical and mental well-being.

Activities and Work Cards

Following our previous guidance on safe activities at home we would like to continue to ask for your support by encouraging your gymnasts and parents to get involved in safe activities and discourage any skills-based activities that are not endorsed by us. 

British Gymnastics have also made available their Core Proficiency Awards 8-4 and the FUNdamentals activity cards. These can be accessed by clubs as part of our endorsed activity, meaning they are covered by your insurance.  This can be access through the Club Log In.

Please find a selection of bilingual resources which have featured on our social media below.

Alphabet Fitness

Gymnastics Bingo ENGLISH Game / Gold Certificate / Silver Certificate / Bronze Certificate 

Gymnastics Bingo WELSH Gem / Tystysgrif Aur / Tystysgrif Arian / Tystysgrif Efydd

Colouring Pages WA / MA / TRA / RHY

Design a Leotard ENGLISH / WELSH 

Fitness Board Game

Home Activity Ideas ENGLISH / WELSH 

Make Your Own Gymnastics Routine ENGLISH / WELSH 

Statutory Sick Pay Support

The UK Government is bringing forward legislation to allow small and medium-sized businesses and employers to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to coronavirus. The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be as follows:

• this refund will cover up to two weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19 
• employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible - the size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020
• employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19
• employers should maintain records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note
• the eligible period for the scheme will commence the day after the regulations on the extension of Statutory Sick Pay to those staying at home comes into force
• the government will work with employers over the coming months to set up the repayment mechanism for employers as soon as possible

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis, all UK businesses are eligible.

To access the scheme businesses will need to:

• designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
• submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal, this portal is not yet in place and we will publish details as soon as they are available (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)

HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will continue until the end of October 2020. For further information please visit the GOV.UK websit

https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus/if-the-employer-needs-to-close-the-workplace 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme 

Staying at home

If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started.

If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill. See the stay at home guidance for more information.

Claiming benefits

Whether you are currently in or out of work, if you are on a low income and affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19, you will be able to access the full range of the welfare system, including Universal Credit.

From 6 April we are increasing the standard allowance in Universal Credit and the basic element in Working Tax Credit for 1 year. Both will increase by £20 per week on top of planned annual uprating. This will apply to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants and to existing Working Tax Credit claimants.

If you have COVID-19 or are staying at home

You are now able to claim Universal Credit, and if required can access advance payments upfront without needing to attend a jobcentre.

DAS Law Covid-19 employment advice webinars 

Webinars have now been completed please visit the BG Club Support Page

These webinars are being provided to you as registered clubs to help you gain a further understanding of employment law around the difficult situation involving the coronavirus, we are running three webinars, with our partner DAS Law, to provide employment advice for clubs. 
The content of the webinars lasts for an hour and discussed a number of things  around employment law including; the coronavirus job retention scheme, furloughed workers, what to do if you're self-employed or have coaches that are self-employed, and communicating with your landlord. 

Job Retention Scheme - Furloughed workers update

The Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme went live 20th April. Follow the link below to access the portal, you will need to scroll to the 'How to claim' section. 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme#how-to-claim

You may also find the step by step guide below helpful from the Government.
Claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)

HMRC have produced a really useful calculator to help with staff put on furlough. 
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/job-retention-scheme-calculator/?_ga=2.179617389.819917206.1587229939-1716842865.1587229939

Information taken from the BG Club Support Page - 07.04.2020, more information also available utilising your club log in. 

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all employers in the UK will be able to access support to continue paying part of workers’  salaries who would otherwise have been laid off during the ongoing crisis.  Furloughed workers are employees whose employers cannot cover staff costs due to coronavirus, and as such they have been asked to stop working but have not been made redundant.  

Such employers are now able to access support to continue paying part of their staff’s wages, to avoid redundancies and so they can retain their teams.  To avoid fraud, there are expected to be cross-checks between the applications for grants against PAYE records for each employer. Employers will be required to make one claim for the entire workforce, record how many workers are covered and will need to keep records. 

How the scheme works  
• The employer should discuss with affected workers and notify them (preferably in writing) that they have become ‘furloughed workers’.  
• The employer can claim a grant of 80% of workers’ wages up to £2,500 a month once they have been furloughed.  
• The workers remain on the payroll deducting tax and national insurance under the pay as you earn (PAYE) system.   
•  If employers want to top up pay levels, they can, but will not be able to claim for more than 80 per cent of £3,125.   
• The employer could choose to fund the differences between this payment and worker’s salary but does not have to.  
• The furloughed workers should not undertake work for their employer while they are furloughed.  
• The scheme is available to  all workers on PAYE scheme  
• The employer needs to get agreement from the worker to do this, unless it’s covered by a ‘lay off’ clause in the employment contract. In any event getting agreement in writing for all workers is good practice. 
• The employer needs to submit information to HMRC about the workers that have been furloughed and their earnings. The submission will be through a new online portal which is expected before them end April (HMRC will set out further details on the information required). 
• If a worker’s salary is reduced as a result of these changes, the employee may be eligible for support through the welfare system, including Universal Credit.  
• For workers on zero-hour contracts, the employer can use the average monthly pay as a benchmark for each person’s pay when furloughed. In order to calculate the average you must consider the earnings from the last year or if the employee has worked for less than a year, the average monthly earnings since work started.  

See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme 

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will run until the End of October.
For further information visit the government COVID-19 business support pages. 

- COVID-19 support for businesses 
- COVID-19 guidance for employees

Once you are on furlough you will not be able to work for your employer. You can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, as long as you’re not:

• making money for your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer
• providing services to your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer

If workers are required to, for example, complete training courses whilst they are furloughed, then they must be paid at least their appropriate minimum wage (NLW, NMW or AMW) for the time spent training, even if this is more than the 80% of their wage that will be subsidised.

Whilst furloughed your employer cannot ask you to do work for another linked or associated company. Your employer can still make you redundant while you’re on furlough or afterwards. Your rights as an employee are not affected by being on furlough, including redundancy rights.

If your employer chooses to place you on furlough, you will need to remain on furlough for a minimum of 3 consecutive weeks. However, your employer can place you on furlough more than once, and one period can follow straight after an existing furlough period, while the scheme is open. The Government recently announced the extension of the scheme until October 2020. Further details will be released shortly. 

ACAS

Self-employed individuals or members of partnerships whose business has been adversely affected by coronavirus will be able to apply for a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profits.

Individuals will be able to make their claim on a specified date between 13 to18 May 2020, based on their Unique Tax Reference number. This can be checked on HMRC’s online checker and those eligible will receive government grant worth up to £7,500.

Individuals are eligible if their business has been adversely affected by coronavirus, they traded in the tax year 2019 to 2020, intend to continue trading, and they:

• earn at least half of their income through self-employment
• have trading profits of no more than £50,000 per year
• traded in the tax year 2018 to 2019 and submitted their Self-Assessment tax return on or before 23 April 2020 for that year

Those who pay themselves a salary and dividends through their own company are not covered by the scheme but will be covered for their salary by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme if they are operating PAYE schemes.

Before grant payments are made, the self-employed will still be able to access other available government support for those affected by coronavirus including more generous universal credit and business continuity loans where they have a business bank account.

For further information on the Self Employment Support Scheme please visit the GOV.UK website. 

1. COVID-19 Business Support Eligibility Checker

Business Wales

Business Wales is a free service that provides impartial, independent support and advice to people starting, running and growing a business in Wales. With regional centres across Wales, we offer a mixture of online and face-to-face support, as well as training workshops and individual advice.

Regional Business Wales Centres

From developing business plans, to securing finance and taking on additional staff, our advisory teams can provide a wide range of support services to help your business grow and maximise its potential. Contact your regional Business Wales centre and find out how we can support you in your local area.

Social Business Wales

Covid-19: Support for your social business

The world is a worrying place at the moment. People are facing a time of unprecedented uncertainty. As well as thinking about the health of their families and colleagues, they are also considering how best to support their local communities and user groups (many of whom are vulnerable), and think about how their social enterprise might fare if income dries up or staff become ill.

This is a time when social enterprises can really step up and come into their own. We’ve recently seen the amazing way that social enterprises have supported local communities affected by flooding, and now we’re seeing organisations offer help and support during the pandemic in all sorts of ways.

Social Business Wales and its team of expert advisors are on hand to provide help with enquiries about cash flow, HR, digital platforms, marketing and communications and a range of other areas which might need re-thinking in light of the current situation. We can provide advice via telephone or through video conferencing – just phone us on 0300 111 5050 or email sbwenquiries@wales.coop if you need our support. Events are moving very fast, and we are working as a team to develop specific tools that will be accessible in the coming days and weeks on this webpage. 

This section will explain the Business Rates Relief available to businesses as a result of the Coronovirus outbreak, this is in addition to the Small Business Rates relief which is already in place across Wales.

The Welsh Government has announced a package of support worth more than £1.4bn for small businesses to help them during the coronavirus outbreak, this funding includes Rate Relief and a grant scheme, details of the grant can be found in the financial support section.

The new package includes a year-long business rates holiday for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in Wales

Local Authorities will be looking to automatically award the business rates holiday to all eligible parties as soon as possible, and you will receive a new bill when the award has been made.

Guidance on eligibility for the relief can be found here.

As this will be automatically awarded we’d appreciate your patience in not following-up by phone. We very much appreciate the major challenges being faced by businesses, and staff will make every effort to get details to you as soon as possible.

Rate Relief for Premises over £500,000

The Welsh Government has decided to make one adjustment to the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) Relief for the hospitality, retail and leisure sector announced last week: to not extend the 100% relief to the small proportion of properties with a rateable value of £500,000 and above.

This will affect fewer than 200 properties across Wales but will release approximately £117 million to kick-start the economic crisis fund. We will be writing to all of the businesses affected and making clear that they will be eligible to apply for discretionary funding to offset some of the costs of NDR if they have a strong case for this.

Further information on Non-Domestic Rates and the support provided by the Welsh Government can be found at the following link: https://businesswales.gov.wales/business-rates-relief-in-wales

Useful Websites

UK Government 

Welsh Government 

Public Health Wales   

Business Wales

Wales Co-operative Centre

Social Business Wales

FSB

DAS Law

Club Solutions

Please follow links to the websites below for more details and advice as it is made live: 

https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme 

https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19 

https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus