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Welcome to the final extended Business Newsletter of the year. The next will be ready to share with you in the first week of January. We hope you stay safe and wish you a happy Christmas and new year.
Tier 2: Christmas and New Year
Communities across Bristol are being urged to have a safe and careful festive period ahead of Christmas and the New Year.
Last weekend the Government announced changes to the relaxed rules over the festive period. This means:
A maximum of three households can create a Christmas bubble for one day only on 25 December
Households should not stay over on Christmas Day and you should try to keep visits short
You may only form one Christmas bubble, and once it has been formed, you cannot change it
Keep your bubbles as small as possible, three households (including your own) should be the maximum, not a target
Try to form bubbles only within your local area – you may not form a bubble with anyone in a Tier 4 area
Limit social contact with anyone outside of your household and for at least five days before forming a bubble
From 26 December, the local tier restrictions will come back into force. Bristol is currently in Tier 2, which means that for New Year’s Eve, people must not mix socially indoors with people not in their household and hospitality venues will close at 11pm.
Please do the most you can over the festive period to protect our city and keep driving down infection rates.
Visit the GOV.UK website for further information
Tier 2 hospitality guidance
If you're a hospitality business in Bristol please remember there is guidance that must be followed while Bristol is in tier 2 of the government's local restriction system. Following this guidance will help protect each other and our city.
You must:
Check that customers sitting inside are from the same household or support bubble
Ensure customers wear a face covering at all times unless sitting at a table, or are exempt
Display a QR code poster and ask customers to check-in using the COVID-19 app or provide you with their contact details
Ask all staff to wear a face covering, unless exempt
Ensure social distancing is maintained throughout your venue, inside and outside
Only serve alcohol with a substantial meal
Call last orders at 10pm and make sure you are shut by 11pm.
Visit our website for guidance or you can read the full tier 2 restrictions on the government website
If you need any support to ensure your premises is COVID-secure please contact us on business@bristol.gov.uk
Support payment now available for pubs
The Christmas Support Payment (CSP) is now available to pubs that derive most of their income from drinks rather than food as a one-off £1,000 payment for the month of December.
You will still be entitled to this if you have repurposed and are now selling substantial meals. Businesses can apply for the grant in addition to other financial support such as the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
Visit our website for more information on grants and how to apply
Test and Trace Support Payments
Have any of your employees had to self-isolate? Grants of £500 are available to people in low paid employment, self-employment or people who are unable to work from home and will lose income.
To be eligible for a Test and Trace Support Payment you must have been asked to self-isolate by either:
NHS Test and Trace - because you have tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
The NHS COVID-19 app on or after 10 December 2020 and followed the ‘financial support’ process on the app
See more about the eligibility criteria for Test and Trace Support Payments
Finding local solutions to global challenges
Bristol’s COVID-19 food response brought people together and showed what we can achieve as a city. A new film tells the inspirational story of some of the people and organisations who came together to feed the city during the pandemic.
The Bristol One City – Food System Collaboration film shows how partnerships were an essential part of the city’s ability to adapt and respond well to the pandemic. The film has been submitted to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact for this year’s Milan Pact Talks, which will share different cities’ experiences and food system responses to COVID-19.
This is not the end of the story. As a city we want to make sure that Bristol achieves the gold standard in the Sustainable Food City awards and establish a legacy programme. If the film has inspired you, why not play a part in Bristol’s resilient food future too?
Visit the Bristol Bites Back Better site which includes a short film highlighting the importance of supporting local food independents.
Quick updates
• Application deadlines for a number of UK Government support schemes for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic – including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) – have been extended to 31 March 2021. The Coronavirus Job Retention (Furlough) Scheme has also been extended until 30 April 2021.
• The police have recently reported incidents of counterfeit money being used, particular Scottish £50 notes, to buy low value goods. For guidance on how to check bank notes, please visit the Bank of England website
• The UK's transition period from exiting the EU will conclude at the end of this year. Visit the UK Government's transition hub for more information and to check you are ready
• Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond to help their community during the pandemic? Or do you know an organisation that has been truly exceptional in providing COVID-19 support during the crisis? If you do, nominate them now for a Lord Mayor's Medal as an accolade of all their hard work. Find out more and nominate a local hero
• The annual Bristol Life Awards are a major highlight for the city’s business community. Find out more on the Bristol Life Awards website
• The West of England Recovery Taskforce welcomed new funding and initiatives to help residents with the training and skills they need to improve their job prospects as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read about the new measures announced on the WECA website
• SETsquared Bristol, the University of Bristol world-leading tech incubator, awards six companies their 2020 Breakthrough Bursary. Now in its second year, the Breakthrough Bursary supports entrepreneurs from diverse ethnic backgrounds to access business support. Visit the SETsquared website to find out more
• Innovate UK, The Intellectual Property Office and Business West are offering grants to businesses of up to £2,500 to subsidise an IP Audit. To learn more about the Audit and how to participate, please email eensw@businesswest.co.uk for more information.
• The Education and Skills Funding Agency is keen to make sure the Government’s wider skills offers continue to meet the needs of employers looking to develop their future talent; as well as individuals looking to progress in their careers. Please share your views
• BEIS has granted funding to Evolution Invoice to offer 1,000 SMEs in England free invoice processing software until December 2021. Any company with less than 250 employees based in England is eligible. Sign up today on the Evolution Invoice website
• Bristol ADVENTures light trail will be extended until Monday 28 December, to allow more people to see it safely. Full details on daily trail updates are available on Visit Bristol. Share your photos using #BristolADVENTures and #BristolTogether.
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