Applications open today for new loan scheme

The new Bounce Back Loans scheme is now open for applications. The scheme allows small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 and access the cash within days.

On Friday, the Chancellor sent a letter to all accredited lenders under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) setting out the interest rate that Bounce Back Loans will be offered at and outlining legislative and regulatory changes being made to support the delivery of the scheme.!

Top-up to local business grant funds scheme

A discretionary fund has been set up to accommodate certain small businesses in England previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme. This additional fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs.

Businesse! s must be small, under 50 employees, and they must also be able to demonstrate that they have seen a significant drop of income due to Coronavirus restriction measures. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.

PM to outline plan for phased easing of lockdown

Boris Johnson is expected to ma! ke an announcement on Sunday 10 May outlining the Government’s roadmap to unlock various parts of the UK economy.

The lifting of lockdown measures is not expected to happen all at once and will instead be phased in gradually, allowing the government to monitor the impact of changes at a national and local level.

The Government will closely monitor the impact of any easing of restrictions and will reintroduce any measures that might be required to deal with a localised coronavirus outbreak.

BVRLA works with BEIS on ‘back-to-business' guidance

BEIS is working with management consultancy EY to produce guidance aimed at helping British industry to resume its business activity in a safe way.

It is looking to structure this by workplace environment - retail, hospitality, distribution & logistics, offices, etc - rather than by sector or industry type.

EY is co-ordinating the input from industry, trade unions and others and the BVRLA has been providing specific input and feedback on behalf of the vehicle rental, leasing and fleet sector.

Proposals being considered for how workplaces might operate following the easing of lockdown restrictions include:

• Firms will be expected to implement staggered shifts and keep employees two meters apart where possible. If it is not possible for workers to stay two meters apart, additional measures should be implemented, such as the use of PPE and additional hygiene procedures. Workers may also be allowed to be closer than two meters apart, although only for a very limited time period. 
• In offices, hot desking will be stopped, canteens closed, lifts kept half-empty and employees told to try to avoid face-to-face meetings. Workers that deal with customers will have to be protected by plastic screens and appropriate safety equipment. 
• Workers who can work from home will be encouraged to do so, potentially for months, to ease the burden on a severely restricted public transport system. 
• Workers considered vulnerable (for instance those over 70, pregnant, or with underlying organ or respiratory problems) but who cannot work from home should be put in the ‘safest possible roles’ in the workplace. 
• Businesses will be asked to provide more parking spaces to allow colleagues to travel into work separately, alongside additional bike parking. 
• Every firm with more than five staff will have to produce a document setting out how the firm will maintain safe working during the current pandemic.

Supplies of PPE

The government would like to get an industry perspective on the availability and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). It is particularly interested in understanding:

• What type of PPE is required for your business to enable safer working?  Can the amount be qualified or quantified? 
• What other measures (other than or alongside PPE) need to be in place for business in your sector to operate safely? 
• Are you experiencing shortages of traditional PPE (e.g. dust masks)? 
• How critical is the need for your sector to access PPE in order to operate safely (bearing in mind the need for critical workers to receive these resources first)?

It has asked the BVRLA to collate some input on behalf of the vehicle rental, leasing and fleet sectors. To share your views, please get in touch with BVRLA Fleet Services Director, Amanda Brandon at amanda@bvrla.co.uk.

BVRLA collaborates on operational guidance

The BVRLA is working with other trade bodies in the automotive industry to develop some COVID-19 safety guidance on key operational issues, including vehicle collections, deliveries and cleaning.

If there are any other operational issues that you would like to see covered by this kind of industry-wide guidance, please get in touch with BVRLA Fleet Services Director, Amanda Brandon at amanda@bvrla.co.uk.

Government invites key workers to get tested

Government is encouraging key workers who cannot work from home to apply for a coronavirus test. Tests are completely voluntary, and you do not have to take it, but are encouraged to do so.

The test will confirm whether you currently have coronavirus, enabling you to take the right steps to look after yourself, protect others, know if you are fit and well to return to your critical role and potentially reduce the amount of time you have to self-isolate for.

There are three ways testing can be done. Either at home, at a mobile unit or at a regional test site. The Government has published full details on how the data being collated will be used.

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