I hope you all enjoyed a well deserved break over the Christmas period and as this is our first business update of 2022, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year.
We know that challenges around Covid-19 are still very much causing disruption for members and we provide several updates in this newsletter below.
We hosted Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA on his visit to Newry yesterday and briefed him on the latest developments in the local business community which you can read more on below.
The Chamber Board and Chamber Council meetings took place this week and we are now finalising our action plans for 2022.
We are gearing up for another busy year and you can now register for some of our upcoming events via the links below. Full events programme to come soon.
WEBINAR: Accelerate You In 2022
Friday 21st January 2022, 8am – 9am – REGISTER NOW
CONFERENCE: NI Digital Marketing Conference 2022
Thursday 24th February 2022, 8am – 1pm
CONFERENCE: Cross-Border Conference 2022
Wednesday 9th March 2022, 9am – 1pm – REGISTER NOW
In this update, I have also included information on:
- Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA Meets Newry Chamber
- Coronavirus: Omicron Hospitality Financial Support Payment
- COVID-19 Booster Programme: The Shift To Local Is On
- Coronavirus: International Travel Rules Update
- Prepare Your Business For Making Tax Digital For VAT
- Business Support Workshops For Businesses in NMDDC Area
Tony McKeown
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade
MEETING WITH ECONOMY MINISTER, GORDON LYONS MLA
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade was delighted to host Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA on his visit to Newry on Wednesday 12th January 2021.
The meeting took place at AbbeyAutoline offices on the Rathfriland Road, Newry and he was briefed on the latest developments in the local business community.
Julie Gibbons, President of Newry Chamber said:
“We want to thank the Minister for engaging with us. We had a wide ranging discussion around the priorities and opportunities for organisations operating in the Greater Newry Area. Despite the obvious ongoing challenges of Covid, Brexit and resulting uncertainty, there is a great deal of optimism and ambition amongst our members.”
The Minister took the opportunity to update to the Chamber on the Department for the Economy’s vision for the next 10 years called, “10x Economy – A Decade of Innovation.” The vision is to deliver a ten times (10x) better economy that benefits for all the people of NI.
The Minister also congratulated the Chamber on celebrating its 200th Anniversary in 2021 and membership growth of 30% to over 240 over the last two years. This demonstrates that the business community are keen to collaborate and work with a range of stakeholders in order for the region to fulfil its potential.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
OMICRON HOSPITALITY FINANCIAL SUPPORT PAYMENT
The Omicron Hospitality Payment will provide financial support of £40 million to the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland. Over 3,200 businesses will be eligible for a one-off grant payment under the support scheme, subject to regulations.
Land & Property Services (LPS) will contact eligible businesses who received support from the Localised Restrictions Support Scheme (LRSS) directly during the week commencing 17th January 2022 for confirmation of relevant business information in order to enable payments for the Omicron Hospitality Payment to issue.
Hospitality businesses which did not receive support from the Localised Restrictions Support Scheme who would have been eligible for LRSS based on their current circumstances, will also have the opportunity to apply for support through this payment using an application portal.
Eligible businesses will include:
- Licensed Restaurants
- Unlicensed Restaurants
- Cafés
- Coffee Shops
- Bistros
- Snack Bars
- Public Houses
- Social Clubs & Private Members Clubs
- Nightclubs
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
COVID-19 BOOSTER PROGRAMME: THE SHIFT TO LOCAL IS ON
Don’t miss out on getting your booster at one of Northern Ireland’s mass vaccination centres. That’s the advice to the public from the Department of Health, as the next phase of the booster roll-out takes shape.
This will involve a scaling back at some mass vaccination centres, as resources are shifted to localised and mobile clinics.
It will mean an increased overall number of clinics on the ground, complementing the ongoing work of GPs and pharmacies in rolling out the boosters. First and second doses will continue to be available, as well as boosters.
To get instant information on Trust and pharmacy vaccination clinics closest to you, type in your postcode or town at this online location search HERE.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
CORONAVIRUS: INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RULES UPDATE
The Department of Health has confirmed that a number of travel rules previously introduced to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant will be removed.
From 4am on Friday 7th January 2022, fully vaccinated passengers and under 18s will no longer need to take a pre-departure test or self-isolate on arrival.
However, fully vaccinated passengers are still required to complete a passenger locator form and take a test on or before day 2 of their arrival.
From Sunday 9th January 2022, this can be either a lateral flow (LFD) or PCR test. NHS Test and Trace tests cannot be used for international travel, LFDs for this purpose must be purchased from a private provider.
Anyone with a positive lateral flow test will be required to book a free confirmatory PCR test and isolate. If the subsequent mandatory confirmatory PCR is negative, then the isolation period can end.
Individuals who are not deemed as fully vaccinated are required to complete a passenger locator form, take a pre-departure test, have booked a PCR day 2 and day 8 test package and complete 10 days self-isolation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR MAKING TAX DIGITAL FOR VAT
From 1st April 2022, VAT registered businesses must file digitally through Making Tax Digital from 1st April 2022, regardless of turnover.
Making Tax Digital is designed to help businesses eliminate common errors and save time managing their tax affairs.
Since April 2019, businesses with a taxable turnover above £85,000 have already been required to follow Making Tax Digital, keeping digital records and filing VAT returns using compatible software.
To sign up to Making Tax Digital for VAT, businesses or an agent on a businesses’ behalf need to:
- Choose Making Tax Digital Compatible Software.
- Keep digital records starting from 1st April 2022 or the beginning of their VAT period.
- Sign Up and submit their VAT Return through Making Tax Digital.
If businesses have not yet signed up to Making Tax Digital for VAT, they should do so now to ensure they are ready in time for the April 2022 deadline.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
FREE BUSINESS SUPPORT WORKSHOPS FOR BUSINESSES
IN NEWRY, MOURNE AND DOWN DISTRICT COUNCIL AREA
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is holding some FREE business support workshops for businesses across the area scheduled for January to April 2022.
Creating Content For Your Website
DATE: Tuesday 18th January 2022
TIME: 10pm – 12 noon
This workshop will explore the key elements included in developing a content plan for your organisation, the benefits of blogging and ideas for blogs in 2022.
Excellent Customer Relationship Management
DATE: Wednesday 16th February 2022
TIME: 10am – 12:30pm
At this workshop, you will learn tools and techniques to help retain, secure and build new customers by focusing on your customer skills within your industry/business.
Make Your Website Work Harder For You
DATE: Wednesday 9th March 2022
TIME: 10am – 12 noon
This workshop will explore how you can make your website produce better results for your business, such as more leads, enquiries, sales and content downloads.
Introduction To Selling To The Public Sector
DATE: Wednesday 16th March 2022
TIME: 10am – 12:30pm
This workshop removes the ambiguity around selling to the public sector with clear guidelines and activities that each business can carry out.
Manage Your Business In The Cloud
DATE: Wednesday 7th April 2022
TIME: 10am – 12 noon
This workshop will explore how you can be productive even when you are out of the office with an overview of the top cloud-based tools and systems.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THESE WORKSHOPS.