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Financial support for businesses announced as daily
Covid cases exceed 100,000 for the first time update from Vic Annells, Chief Executive
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| Omicron cases have continued to rise across the UK this week, with the daily figure for new Covid-19 cases in the UK exceeding 100,000 for the first time. However, we have received a very welcome announcement from Rishi Sunak that has unveiled additional financial support for businesses in some of the most vulnerable sectors and positions.
For the hospitality and leisure sectors, an additional
£1 billion has been allocated for business support to provide eligible businesses with £6,000 one-off grants to help weather the struggle through additional Covid-19 restrictions. |
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£30 million extra has also been allocated to the Cultural Recovery Fund.
The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme for SMEs has been reinstated to allow eligible companies to claim compensation for covering the costs of sick pay for employees.
Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are pleased that the chancellor heard our call for additional grant funding for hospitality and leisure businesses, which will provide some much-needed support in the face of this increasingly difficult trading period.
“Clarity and speed will be needed to ensure that these grants are paid out swiftly to help these hard-pressed firms weather the next few weeks.”
According to some recent reports, we may well be looking at further restrictions after Christmas, during the festive period or after the New Year, and this time we have been reassured that there will be measures in place to support businesses should further restrictions be brought into place.
Shevaun clarified this in terms of what the British Chambers of Commerce are asking for, by highlighting that “Whilst these measures are a positive starting point, if restrictions persist or are tightened further, then we would need to see a wider support package, equal to the scale of any new measures, put in place.”
Temporary Employee Self-Certification for 28 Days of Sickness
To ease pressure on GPs during the latest vaccination drive and roll out of the Covid-19 booster vaccinations, the number of days that an employee can self-certify for sickness has extended from seven days to 28 days.
This means that a fit to work note or medical evidence of sickness won’t be required for an employee to qualify for statutory sick pay unless the absence period extends beyond 28 days. This applies to absences beginning on or after 10 December 2021 and before 26 January 2022.
The updated legislation can be viewed here >
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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION LINKS ON ALL ASPECTS:
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