COVID-19: Strengthened Support for Business

The Government has taken further action to support firms affected by COVID-19 by bolstering business interruption loans for small businesses and announcing a new scheme for larger companies.

Extended Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)
The Government has extended the CBILS so that all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time.

The government is also stopping lenders from requesting personal guarantees for loans under £250,000 and making operational changes to speed up lending approvals. The government will continue to cover the first twelve months of interest and fees.

Please find further details here

New Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)
The new CLBILS will ensure that more firms are able to benefit from government-backed support during this difficult time. It will provide a government guarantee of 80% to enable banks to make loans of up to £25 million to firms with an annual turnover of between £45 million and £500 million.

Loans backed by a guarantee under CLBILS will be offered at commercial rates of interest and further details of the scheme will be announced later this month.

Please find initial details here

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DBS Speeds up Background Checks

The DBS has put temporary measures in place to fast-track emergency checks free of charge. More details here.

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Charity Commission Updates COVID-19 Guidance

The Charity Commission has produced updated guidance for charities on dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. More details here.

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COVID-19 Business Support Update

Now that the government’s Covid-19 business support packages are live, we are gathering feedback on how they are being utilised and how best to help businesses to access the support.

As such, HMRC are delivering a programme of webinars to support employers, employees and the self-employed through this period of disruption. You can watch the first recorded webinar and register for future webinars using this link: bit.ly/HMRCWebinar

Details of the existing business support packages, are summarised in the key links below.

Key links

 

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COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Support for Businesses & Employers

The London Growth Hub have launched a new portal to support London-based businesses and employers manage and mitigate their exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Supported by the Mayor of London, the portal is now freely available to all London businesses and brings together essential free resources to help them keep up to date with the latest developments, support offerings and all relevant COVID-19 information, including:

  • Access to book a free 1-2-1 meeting with an expert business adviser (subject to availability)
  • Checklists, factsheets and guides for businesses and employers
  • Information on Government and sector-specific support
  • Information about financial support, grants and schemes
  • Access to COVID-19 webinars, virtual events and external resources
  • The latest news and updates
  • A feedback survey to help us, and our partners, understand the changing needs of businesses

Click here

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Using K&C Libraries Online

Following the Government’s announcement on Friday 20 March all libraries in the borough have closed until further notice. We have also cancelled all library events and activities and extended due dates for all borrowed items, so you will not be charged overdue fees.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the library in due course but in the meantime, we have a fantastic online library to offer you – newspapers, journals, comics, books, audiobooks, language-learning platform and dictionaries, reference materials for students and much more – all available to you remotely, from home, with just your library card.

Don’t have a library card? Don’t worry – you can join online and use the resources straight away with the registration number you get when you fill the form.

For some of them you need to download an app, while others are available by simply entering your library membership number  – just click through the links provided in this newsletter and you will be guided to whatever is of interest.

If you run into difficulties, email libraries@rbkc.gov.uk and we’ll do our best to help.

 

 

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The Parents’ Guide to Teaching your Teen Online Safety

The guide offers lots of helpful information such as:

  • A practical guide for parents on how to keep teens safe online, including useful summaries of popular internet apps as well as the types of threats teens could be exposed to online.
  • Safety tips for using apps such as Instagram, TikTok (which has gathered 1 billion users in only two years), YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter and Whatsapp. We also cover advice and safety tips for teens playing online multiplayer video games.
  • Other online safety topics and advice such as sharing personal information, socialising online, cyberbullying, harmful content, influencers, body image and mental health for teens online.
  • Links to additional internet safety resources for parents from well-respected sources such as the NSPCC and the UK government’s own guidelines.

Click here

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