British Chambers Quarterly Economic Survey Q2 2020

The QES carried out by the British Chambers is the largest independent business survey in the UK and a significant economic indicator.

This will be the first QES since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic in the UK and the subsequent lockdown. While our weekly tracker data already demonstrates a very clear decline in business activity when compared against QES historical data, this will be the first major real comparison. Our data will mark the clear shift from pre-Coronavirus conditions to the current situation and will form a significant part of the historical record.
 
The results of the QES are published in advance of official figures and other private surveys and it consistently mirrors trends in official data. The results help influence policy at the Bank of England and central Government.
 
We encourage you to take 5 minutes to complete this extremely important economic survey.
 
Once you click the link, make sure to select ‘South East: Sussex’ from the ‘Which Chamber’ section.

Click here to complete the survey

Hygiene Screens from L&S Office Supplies

L&S Office Supplies have a range of hygiene screens available to purchase, ideal for keeping your employees and colleagues safe. 

Click here to the hygiene screens

Veteran in Recent VE Day Coverage Takes on Charity Challenge

Normandy Veteran, Len Gibbon, 96, who was featured heavily in the recent coverage of VE Day, is taking on a cycling challenge in aid of charity, Care for Veterans. 
 
Len has decided to recreate his historic journey across the Channel by cycling the distance from Portsmouth to Gold Beach on a static bike. He aims to complete the 104-mile distance by 6^th June, which will mark the 76^th anniversary of the first Normandy landings.
 
Fellow Normandy veteran, Peter Hawkins, 95, is supporting Len with his challenge by cycling his own 104-miles. Peter also landed at Gold Beach a few days after the invasion started. The men are cycling on separate occasions, of course, to ensure they keep their distance.
 
Both men are residents at Care for Veterans, which is based in Worthing, West Sussex. The charity has provided care and rehabilitation to physically disabled ex-Service personnel and their families since 1919. It receives no regular government funding and must raise £1.9 million this year to provide its award-winning care to the veterans who live there. 

Len came to live at Care for Veterans in December 2019. He realised he needed extra help after having several falls at home and his walking had become unbalanced. He loves dancing and so the physiotherapists at the charity incorporate this into his sessions; he loves to do the ‘Cha Cha’.

He said, “Although I’m 96, I still like to be doing something. I like to have a dance at the concerts they have sometimes. I have physio as well, which I really enjoy. I'm doing this challenge to help raise money for Care for Veterans because it's a wonderful place. It's going really well so far, hopefully I'll finish on time!"
  
Len’s challenge comes at a time when the charity needs it most. Due to the current situation, many of the events and initiatives that Care for Veterans had organised to raise vital funds have been postponed or cancelled, so he hopes to raise as much as he can to support the charity that cares for him. 
 
You can show Len your support by donating via his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/campaign/lens-d-day-challenge

Delays at Companies House leave struggling businesses with more debt, says accountants Kreston Reeves

Delays at Companies House are leaving businesses wishing to dissolve with growing and unnecessary debt, warns accountants, business and financial advisers Kreston Reeves.

Andrew Tate, Partner and Head of Restructuring at Kreston Reeves comments:

“Many companies have seen business disappear as a result of the coronavirus with little prospect of it returning and are taking the difficult decision to close, or dissolve, a company rather than go through formal insolvency procedures.

“It is a relatively straightforward process, costing just £10 and the completion of form DS01 that is then sent to Companies House. Two months later the company will no longer legally exist.

“But severe staff shortages at Companies House caused by the coronavirus and the government’s lockdown measures together with the decision by Companies House in April to introduce a three-month pause to the strike off process has left companies unable dissolve, leaving them exposed to accumulating unnecessary expense and debt. It is particularly problematic for small businesses who cannot afford or do not need to go through formal insolvency proceedings.

“The decision by Companies House was with good intention recognising that business owners may not be able to file accounts on time – which, in normal times, leads to the striking off of a company. However, many decisions taken to cope with the virus have unintended consequences.

“Businesses are facing delays of up to five months, leaving them exposed to additional rent, business rates and administration costs they can ill-afford. Creditors may not object to the dissolution of a business if its debts are small, but as they accumulate they may force companies into more formal insolvency procedures.”

Businesses that wish to close down do need to take the following steps:

• Announce plans to HMRC.
• Inform staff and comply with redundancy rules.
• Correctly account for any assets of the business.

Andrew adds: “Form DS01 will need to be sent to directors of the company, employees, pension fund trustees or managers, and creditors. Creditors can object to the dissolution of a company pushing it into formal insolvency procedures, but if debt is small it is usually not worth the trouble. The longer it takes to dissolve a company the greater levels of debt it is likely to accumulate.”

www.krestonreeves.com

Safe in Sussex Update

Safe in Sussex is acutely aware that those living with domestic abuse during the lock-down have limited opportunity to reach out for help and support due to the perpetrator's constant presence in the home.  As restrictions begin to be lifted we anticipate an increase in demand for our services, with this in mind we have launched the following:

A Helpline is available Monday to Friday, 10am -3pm. The number is 01903 896 202.

An Online Chat available on our website Monday to Friday, 12.30 -2.30 pm. www.safeinsussex.org

Our Freedom Programme is now available online with 3 different time slots, including an evening one. Please call 01903 896212 for more details or email elaine@safeinsussex.org.uk 

Please keep up to date with Safe in Sussex by following us on Facebook or Twitter, just search safeinsussex or if you don't use Social Media, keep an eye on our website www.safeinsussex.org

Worthing High School VE Day

Worthing High School marked VE Day on the 8^th May by providing for some of their vulnerable and keyworker pupils the opportunity to appreciate what a (socially distanced) VE Day celebration may have looked like. As the school was open on Friday 8^th May a special programme has been arranged for those students attending school on the Bank Holiday.

Students spent the day making bunting, cooking cakes and digging for victory. These activities were all part of the students VE day experience, along with marking the 2 minutes silence at 11am to commemorate the 75^th anniversary.

Students were also given the opportunity to participate in games like hop scotch, marbles and skipping to help them appreciate what playground activities used to look like.

Mr Panayiotou, Headteacher said:  said “It has been a great opportunity for us to commemorate the 75^th Anniversary and to take the time to reflect on the sacrifices that were made during the Second World War. It also has been important not to forget the unprecedented situation we are all living through.”

A special thanks to all the staff who made our special VE Day possible at Worthing High School.

A cafe, the Council, churches, businesses and charities: how great teamwork is helping some of the most vulnerable people in Worthing

There were two reasons why Worthing cafe owner Sarah Hill didn’t hesitate when agreeing to help feed the borough’s vulnerable homeless and rough sleepers during lockdown.

The first was that the Cafe Montague proprietor saw for herself how hungry the vulnerable people, numbers have doubled since the crisis began, actually were.

And secondly the prospect of closing her cafe and putting her staff out of work was too awful to contemplate. Better work for a good cause and keep her great team together.

So since being asked by homeless charity Turning Tides and Worthing Borough Council’s Outreach team Cafe Montague have been working flat out providing 80 people, currently housed in town centre hotels, with three meals a day.

Said Sarah: ‘It’s really good because you get to see a side of society that you wouldn’t normally see. I think that there’s a belief that when you walk past a homeless person you don’t understand why they’re homeless. Hearing some of their stories you begin to realise why people can end up in this position. It broadens the mind.’

The Montague Place cafe stepped in when St Clare’s Community Hub, run by Turning Tides, and other night shelters had to close because of the lockdown and could no longer provide their no longer provide meals for their usual Monday night visitors.

‘Things just snowballed from there,’ said Sarah who runs the cafe with partner Michael.

The team is not only feeding temporary hotel residents but other vulnerable people in the community.

‘They’re very hungry, most of them,’ said Sarah, “A lot of them haven’t been using the night shelters and are rough sleeping and relying on donations from the public.’

Food is supplied by generous donations from Cafe Montague customers, Bookers Worthing and Co-op as well as other local stores though the majority of supplies comes in two deliveries per week from the food waste charity FareShare. The Council is meeting some of the cafe's expenses.

‘Last week FareShare delivered a ton of food to us and we don’t have much of that left.’ continued Sarah, ‘As well as these donations, the Council’s Food Hub asked another food charity, UKHarvest, to deliver us anything fresh that they couldn’t store. So we get things like mince, sausages and bacon too.

‘We cook the meals and then there’s a delivery rota. In the morning it's the Outreach team,  lunchtime is Turning Tides and in the evening there’s a rota of churches and charities and Christian Associations.’

It’s a great example of crisis-time community partnership working between local business, Council staff and church groups.

While grateful that they can help to support the vulnerable communities at this time, the other reason for Sarah to help is that it means she can retain her staff and keep her business running during the pandemic.

‘We can stay open and it’s great to help where we can. I don’t want to lose my lovely staff,’ she said.

Coronavirus Business Support Guide

Navigating the crisis
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated shutdown has significantly affected many businesses. We know you may be suffering in terms of cash flow and face enormous uncertainty about the future for your business. We will do all we can to help you.

In this newsletter we have brought together what you need to know about the Government help available for small businesses. HMRC is automatically deferring the next VAT and Income Tax bills, and it will agree extra time for you to pay Corporation Tax and PAYE, but those terms need to be negotiated individually.

Unfortunately, it takes time to set up new systems to provide cash injections directly into businesses, but there are Government grants on their way to the Self-employed as well as those already being paid to employers to cover 80% of wages. We explain who qualifies for these grants.

A large number of businesses are having their Business Rates bill for 2020/21 wiped out, and smaller businesses may be eligible for cash grants of £10,000 or £25,000 from their local authority. Don’t be caught out by scammers, as all the Government grant money will come through either HMRC or the local authority you pay business rates to. Don’t click on links in any unsolicited communications.

If you are renting your home or business premises and are having difficulty in paying your rent, you should speak to your landlord. The law has been changed to require the landlord to give you at least three months’ notice to leave the property. All current court proceedings concerning evictions have been paused.

If you are worried that your business has more outgoings than sales and is heading for bust, any of these measures may be able to help you. The Government has temporarily changed the rules on wrongful trading to allow companies to pay staff and suppliers even if the directors fear this could mean the company is made insolvent. Your creditors will not be able to force your business into administration or liquidation for a temporary period during the pandemic.

Click here to view the full Coronavirus Business Support Guide

Message from AWBP Chair, Andrew Swayne 

In the last few days we have had a lot from the government. Some of it broad headlines, some lacking detail and some follow-up which is useful.

There is much to absorb.  My personal views on these are

• We do at least have a framework and pass/fail criteria for coming out of lock down
• The “Covid-19 secure” workplace document sets are clearly written and based on the type of workplace.  These are useful – it helps us work out how to address social distancing in the workplace
• Like many, I am not sure how the primary schools opening on 1 June will work – that has a lot of impact on employee’s ability to return to work
• The plans for secondary schools are probably more manageable
• The phasing of work start times needs a lot of coordination – who is going to do that?
• The new guidance on traffic management with an emphasis on walking and cycling is interesting – we wait to see how this plays out in reality and when
• With the combination of low public transport capacity and “work from home if you can”, we may get significant local traffic challenges from September - assuming schools are operating more normally
• The extension and flexibility of the Job Retention Scheme is good news, particularly for the sectors which will take longest to recover

What are we doing about it?

We continue to want your feedback so we can feed in at various levels (please use the email below). Feedback will also go into a letter to government about what we think and what we need – that will go out next week. We understand most of you are very (and rightly) focused on your businesses and issues of today and tomorrow – wider perspectives also help a lot.

We have approached WSCC Highways and Highways England to understand the plans for our locality for the whole road network, thinking about the current network and September traffic flows. We want to be early adopters and get some pilot project funding. We have some challenging locations where there is not enough road, pavement and cycle lane space.

We keep listening and trying to understand what government is saying and what you think

What can you do to help?

• Contribute to the Chambers’ surveys - click here to complete the survey
  Feedback into the Council (below) on any points mentioned above – ideas and concerns
• Particularly share your views on loans and grants and how they are working
• Give us your thoughts on staggered workplace start times and how they might work in your business
• Share your challenges and thoughts around recovery

Results from Sussex Chamber Impact of COVID-19 on Sussex Businesses

In this first tranche of data collection (31 March—6 April 2020) close to 200 businesses in Sussex responded. 89% of the respondents were SMEs, 20% were manufacturers and 40% had their entire business home-working whilst 13% told us they have closed for the duration of lockdown.  

Click here to read the results

Survey 2 now available

Sussex Chamber need you to help us understand how the recently announced Government funding is supporting your business and the effects that the Coronavirus outbreak is having on your business.

Your response will help the Chamber and partner organisations to shape further support and help us inform Government of the effectiveness of their strategies and highlight areas where additional support may be required.

Click here to take part in the survey