There was some further positive news from the NI Executive today with the announcement by the NI Finance Minister of further business rates support.
I have published full details on this below.
Our webinar for this Thursday night, with Glyn Roberts from Retail NI and Roger Pollen from FSB NI, is filling up quickly. If you are interested in joining the discussion, I would encourage you to register now.
Details on how to register can be found below.
I hope you find these updates of value. If you have any queries which you can’t get answered, let us know. If I can, I will cover them in our next update.
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You can contact me at:
colm@newrychamber.com
Stay safe.
Colm Shannon,
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade
NEWRY CHAMBER ONLINE WEBINAR AND Q&A
The NI Executive’s Roadmap For Reopening The Economy
What Does It Mean For Your Business?
DATE: Thursday 21st May 2020
TIME: 6:30pm
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade invites you to join our CEO, Colm Shannon who will host the Webinar and Q&A with:
- Glyn Roberts – Chief Executive, Retail NI
- Roger Pollen – Head of External Affairs, FSB NI
PLEASE NOTE:
Spaces are limited and there is a lot of interest in this Webinar and Q&A, so we would encourage you to register as soon as possible.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE.
UPDATE: RATES SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES
RATES HOLIDAY FOR ALL BUSINESSES
The NI Finance Minister, Conor Murphy MLA, has confirmed this morning that:
- Rates holiday extended for ALL BUSINESSES until the end of July.
- This will be shown as a discount on the annual rate bill for ratepayers.
RATES RELIEF FOR HARDEST HIT SECTORS
In addition, the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic will pay no rates for the full financial year up until 31st March 2021.
Those sectors include:
- Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure;
- Retail (excluding certain supermarkets and off-licences);
- Childcare; and
- Belfast City Airport, Belfast International Airport & City of Derry Airport.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
UPDATE: STATUATORY SICK PAY REBATE SCHEME
The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will repay employers the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid to current or former employees.
The repayment will cover up to two weeks starting from the first qualifying day of sickness, if an employee is unable to work because they either:
- Have COVID-19 symptoms;
- Cannot work because they are self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms; or
- Are shielding and have a letter from the NHS or a GP telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks.
The online service you’ll use to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is not available yet. HMRC will announce when the service is available and we will update you.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
UPDATE: FUTURE FUND
Eligibility details for the Future Fund, which was set up to provide government loans to UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5 million, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors, has been updated.
Your business is eligible if:
- It is UK-incorporated. If your business is part of a corporate group, only the parent company is eligible;
- It has raised at least £250,000 in equity investment from third-party investors in the last 5 years;
- None of its shares are traded on a regulated market, multilateral trading facility or other listing venue; or
- It was incorporated on or before 31st December 2019.
PLEASE NOTE:
Applications for the Future Fund will open on Wednesday 20th May 2020.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
DEADLINE APPROACHING ON GRANT SCHEMES
Businesses should be mindful that Wednesday 20th May 2020 is the DEADLINE for registering for the £10,000 and £25,000 grant schemes.
Eligible businesses that want to register for one of the following grant schemes should note that the deadline for registration is Wednesday 20th May 2020.