Please find below the latest business newsletter from the city council:
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Apply for a business support grant today
If you pay business rates and haven’t applied for a business support grant please apply now.
Businesses should apply once per premises. Once submitted, we’ll assess your application for all grant schemes that are relevant to you.
You can currently apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Addendum, Closed, Sector) and Christmas Support Payment (CSP).
Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) a grant of up to £1,500 per 14 day period for businesses that are registered for business rates and which have been required to close during Tier 3 restrictions
Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) Addendum a grant of up to £3,000 for businesses that are registered for business rates and were required to close during the national lockdown from 5 November to 1 December 2020
Pub Support (Christmas Support Payment) a one-off payment for December of £1,000 to pubs where less than 50% of the income is derived from food: you must apply by 31 January 2021 to qualify
Local Restrictions Support Grant (Sector) a grant of up to £3,000 per 28-day period effective from 1 November 2020 for businesses such as nightclubs that were required to close on a national basis since 23 March 2020
Visit our website for further information and how to apply
Hospitality guidance during lockdown
While pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars must close during lockdown, you can open for takeaway, delivery or click and collect services. However, there are a number of restrictions set out in government guidance. Visit our website for our useful guide or find more information on the government website.
The key points to be aware of are:
Customers cannot buy or collect alcohol from your premises. You can only sell alcohol for delivery to the customer at their home or another building with a fixed address.
Customers are not allowed to consume food or drinks at your premises at any time, including in your outdoor space.
Between 5am and 11pm customers can enter your premises to buy food and non-alcoholic drinks. However, they must leave before they eat or drink them
Between 11pm and 5am:
You can sell food and alcoholic drinks but they must be ordered online or by phone and delivered to the customer.
Food and non-alcoholic drinks can be pre-ordered and collected by the customer without them entering the premises or sold as part of a drive-through where customers don't leave their vehicles.
Scam vaccine text messages
Health leaders in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire are warning people to be on their guard for scams linked to the COVID-19 vaccination.
Bogus text messages are in circulation, which claim to be from the NHS and tell people they have been identified as eligible for the vaccine and ask people to provide payment details to verify their eligibility. The NHS would never ask anyone for their bank details.
All those who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination will be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn to be vaccinated. Read more about COVID-19 vaccination on the NHS website
Ways to spot a scam:
Look out for spelling and grammatical errors
Even if a message or website looks like it is from the NHS, it doesn’t mean it is authentic
Anything that asks for you to provide bank or payment details in a text is likely to be bogus
Trust your instinct – if it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t
Mental health at work
Our Frontline offers round-the-clock one-to-one mental health support for frontline workers. The support is available by call or text from trained volunteers, and the organisation also provides resources, tips and ideas to look after your mental health on their website.
Find out more about Our Frontline and mental health at work
The Thrive at Work West of England programme supports small to medium sized businesses and enterprises by offering the training resources that are needed to help embed good mental health practice in your business and support your employees.
To find out more visit the Thrive at Work West of England website
24/7 Support & Connect is a free NHS confidential 24/7 helpline for people in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Staffed by experienced counsellors, they offer emotional support and can connect you to organisations in the local area. If English isn’t your first language they can arrange for a translator to support your call.
Visit the Vita Health Group website for 24/7 Support & Connect
Quick updates
• The FSB is arranging a number of virtual events, encouraging small businesses to keep in touch and support each other. All meetings are open to non-FSB members.
Register now for the ‘Women in Business’ networking session, Wednesday 13 January.
These are regular events on the second Wednesday of the month are open to all.Register for the Gloucestershire-focussed networking event, Friday 22 January.
• Is your business ready for doing business with the EU? Even though we secured a deal, doing business with Europe has changed. You need to follow new rules on exports, imports, tariffs, data and hiring. The West of England Combined Authorities Growth Hub have a team of advisors who can help check if you’re ready and help you navigate the new rules. Complete WECA’s EU Transition Business Survey to see if you are ready
• The Effective Digital Entrepreneurship & Business Support (EDEBS) project has been awarded £1m, with hopes it will enable entrepreneurs from non-EU countries in Bristol to unlock new levels of potential. The project will be delivered by ACH, a social enterprise who resettle refugees through labour market and social integration, visit the ACH website for details
• Enterprise Nation’s StartUp 2021 takes place on Saturday 21 January. Now in its seventh year, the event offers you the tools and support to start and grow a business – a must for aspiring entrepreneurs. Get information and tickets for StartUp 2021
• UWE Bristol’s Distinguished Address Series beginning on Wednesday 27 January provides a unique opportunity to hear about challenges and decisions being made at the highest level of strategic leadership by high-profile business executives across the country. Register for the Distinguished Address Series at UWE
• The Future Economy Network is holding a virtual event on Thursday 28 January (6pm to 8:30pm) focusing on Bristol's carbon neutrality journey. Visit the Future Economy Network website for the full agenda and list of speakers
• Bristol City Council is making changes to how vehicles access some parts of the city centre. These changes are part of our Bristol Transport Strategy and aim to help meet air quality and 2030 climate goals by prioritising public transport (buses and taxis) and active travel (cycling and walking) at key points on the transport network centred on Bristol Bridge. Share your views on the future of transport in Bristol with us
• The Bristol Bites Back Better website has recently been updated with lots of easy-to-use resources. You can currently download support packs to support local; fight food waste; and also to cook and eat for health. Keep an eye on the Bristol Bites Back Better website for more great content coming soon
How can we help you?
We will do all we can to address the needs or concerns of businesses across Bristol. If you have any queries or if there is anything that you think we can do to better to help people and businesses, please contact us at: business@bristol.gov.uk
Please share this newsletter with any businesses you think would benefit from it. To receive future emails, click the 'Subscribe' button below.
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Bristol City CouncilCity HallBristol, BS1 9NEUnited Kingdom
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