Business grants and support

If your business has been affected by COVID-19, and in particular the recent Omicron variant, there are a number of grants currently available to help.

The Government’s support finder tool can help you to quickly find out what financial support is available to help businesses and self-employed people in Brent impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The Government’s Business Support Helpline also provides free advice and financial help from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Telephone number for helpline: 0800 998 1098.

Government financial support finder tool

The government has launched a tool to help businesses work out what coronavirus financial support they might be eligible for. Answer a series of questions about your business and you will be signposted to a list of support you may be entitled to.

Business rates holiday

The Government introduced a business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses(expanded to include estate agents, letting agents, bingo halls and nurseries) in England for the 2020-21 tax year.

The business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses has been extended until the end of June 2021. Bills will be issued on 30 June 2021. The relief from 1 July 2021 will be shown on the bill.

If you have any questions, contact the business rates team

Statutory sick pay support

If you are a small to medium-sized business, you can claim back Statutory Sick Pay Support (SSP) paid for staff sickness absence due to coronavirus. This refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of coronavirus if you:

• have already paid your employee’s sick pay
• are claiming for an employee who’s eligible for sick pay due to coronavirus
• have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 30 November 2021
• had fewer than 250 employees on 30 November 2021 across all your PAYE payroll schemes.

You can only claim for employees who were off work on or after 21 December 2021.

VAT and Income Tax payment and support

Get support if you can’t pay your tax bills

All businesses and self-employed people in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, may be eligible to receive support with their tax affairs through HMRC’s Time To Pay service. Call HMRC’s helpline: Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm on 0800 024 1222.

HMRC also has a Self Assessment Payment Helpline, available Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm on 0300 200 3822.

Insurance

Most businesses are unlikely to be covered through their insurance policy for coronavirus, as normally business interruption insurance policies take into account things like damage to property and not pandemics. However, insurance policies can differ, so please check the terms and conditions of your specific policy and speak to your provider. If your insurers require a letter from the council advising the closure of your business, please email: finance2@brent.gov.uk

National restrictions, including face coverings, NHS COVID passes and work from home guidance, have been lifted.

• It is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. However, we encourage that you continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet. It is up to individual businesses whether they continue to ask customers to continue wearing face coverings, unless they are exempt or have a reasonable excuse. For example, some supermarkets have asked that customers continue to wear face coverings in their stores if they are able to.
• Venues and events are no longer required by law to check visitors’ NHS COVID pass. The NHS COVID pass can still be used on a voluntary basis.
• People are no longer required to work from home.

Read further guidance for businesses and venues on GOV.UK

From 24 March 2022, The Government will remove the COVID -19 Provision with the Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance regulations.

From 1 April 2022, the requirement for employers to consider COVID -19 health and safety in their risk assessment will be removed.

Read the full Living with COVID -19 plan here COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Guidance for employers and businesses

Managing the risk of COVID-19

The Government have produced a series of guidelines to help businesses reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading.

View the ‘Working Safely during coronavirus’ guides.

You can also download a poster (.jpg, 117.7kB) to display in your business to encourage others to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading.

Risk assessment

Businesses have a legal duty to manage health and safety risks. This can be done through a health and safety risk assessment that includes the risk of COVID-19 and what you have done to reduce this risk. You can use the ‘Working Safely during coronavirus’ guides to help understand what actions your business can take to protect yourself, your staff and your customers from COVID-19. 

If you have fewer than 5 workers, or are self-employed, you don’t have to write anything down as part of your risk assessment.

There are resources to help you with your risk assessment from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

If you have any questions about the working safely government guidelines please direct these to HSE Covid-19 enquiries on 0300 790 6787 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 8pm) or via their working safely enquiry form. 

NHS Test and Trace guidance

Businesses are no longer legally required to collect customer contact details. However, businesses are encouraged to continue asking customers to check into their venue to help manage COVID-19 cases. You can allow people to check in by displaying the NHS QR code poster or record their details on your own system.

Create your QR code poster for the NHS COVID-19 app

Coronavirus disinfection service for businesses

Help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by booking a deep clean service with our experienced Hygiene Services and Pest Control team.