Updated BVRLA Guidance on Operating during Covid-19

The Guide has been updated to include:

• An Employee Covid-19 Charter template
• Updated references to testing and the new Test and Trace service
• Example usage of plexiglass in vehicles for delivery and collection  

Minister wants to hear about members’ experiences with banks

As part of the BVRLA’s regular catch-up with BEIS Minister Nadhim Zahawi MP, we have been keeping him informed of how the! various government loan schemes have been working for members.

The Minister is in regular contact with the banking sector and individual lenders and is very keen to hear of specific examples where companies feel that they are not getting sufficient support from their bank.

Members who are happy to share their experiences, particularly if they have experience of being refused a loan or finding that the process takes a long time, should email details to BVRLA Director of Corporate Affairs, Toby Poston at toby@bvrla.co.uk, who will ensure that the minister is made aware of the issues.

Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund

Guidance has been published today for the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund which is open to small and micro businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes.

Eligible businesses could get a grant of £25,000, £10,000 or any amount under £10,000. To be eligible your business must:

• Be based in England
• have fewer than 50 employees
• have fixed building costs such as rent
• have been trading on 11 March 2020
• have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus

Applications can be made through your local authority website.

Updated: Guidance on Working Safely during Covid-19

The Government’s workplace safety guidance documents have been updated today to include details on the new Test and Trace service.

M! embers will be particularly interested in the guidance for working safely in office, vehicle and branch settings.

ONS publishes data on the impact of Covid-19 on society

The Office for National Statistics has today published findings from a recent survey assessing the social impacts of coronavirus on people, households and communities in Great Britain

Over 4 in 10 adults (43%) said the coronavirus was having an impact on their work, and of these the most common impacts were similar to previous weeks: being furloughed, needing to work from home and a change in hours work! ed.

The largest change amongst those who said their work was affected was seen with increasing levels of concern about health and safety at work. This increased to 20% this week from 11% last week.

The most common concerns people had around health and safety at their workplace were: difficulties in following social distancing advice, difficulty in following hygiene advice, and limited or no protective equipment in place.

The BVRLA website is updated daily with Covid-19 Business advice and information

As well as receiving these Covid-19 Bulletin emails, members are also reminded that the BVRLA website contains a dedicated Covid-19 Business Advice section hosting all the latest information as well as the previous Covid-19 Bulletins that have been issued since they launched on 17 March.

If you have a colleague who would also like to receive the BVRLA Covid-19 Bulletin, they should email BVRLA Communications Manager Andrea Davies at andrea@bvrla.co.uk