Are you one of the 'Missed Millions'? - If so please take a few minutes to complete this survey

The 'Missed Millions' are businesses / freelancers and start-ups (under 2 years) who do not qualify for any of the current central government business support initiatives - such as SBRR and Rates Relief or Job Retention Scheme.  

Last week a call took place with the County Council, Coast 2 Capital - LEP and a couple of the local authorities in Sussex.  The objective of the call was to see how practical support can be provided to the grassroots businesses, freelancers and start-ups who have slipped through the net.

Can local funding be made available? Can we get a strong enough voice to lobby effectively?....AND can we get something going where whatever spend is being spent in the Sussex region to get channeled and driven to our grassroots economy?

There is an appetite to help and support at local level - which is a good start.  But, we NEED YOUR VOICE - if you are one of those who have 'fallen through the gaps'. 

If this is you - Can you please take 10 mins out of your day and complete the following survey:   https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/sussexbusinessCOVID

Coast to Capital support update

This is an update of the support that Coast to Capital LEP and the Coast to Capital Growth Hub Team can provide to businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Backing Business Grants

Following a very high demand for the Coast to Capital Backing Business Grants, the programme is currently paused for applications. 453 expressions of interest have been received for the Coast to Capital Backing Business Fund providing grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 for businesses of between 5 and 50 employees with a turnover of less than £10m. 254 application forms have been received requesting £4.383m against a fund of £2m. Coast to Capital are exploring ways to increase the Backing Business Grant Fund.

One to One Emergency Response Clinics 

Due to popular demand the Growth Hub Team are providing additional emergency response one to one clinics covering a range of key topics with experts. This Coast to Capital Growth Hub page provides links through to the Eventbrite pages for the clinics which include topics covering Finance, Grants and Funding, Staffing and HR, Innovation, Technology and Mental Resilience. These will be added to meet demand. If the clinics are fully booked businesses are invited to complete the Priority COVID-19 Business Support Request Form and the Growth Hub team will follow up with one to one advice.

Working with Partners

We are working with local and national government, business support organisations including the Chambers of Commerce, membership organisations, IOD and the Federation of Small Businesses to provide collaborative support. We are very keen to work closely with your organisation and happy to follow this up with you.

Events and Webinars

The Coast to Capital Growth Hub provides links to the wide range of webinars and online events covering key topics at this most challenging time. We are working with partners to jointly develop and promote webinars bringing together experts in their field. These will be promoted on the Growth Hub website and social media.

Information

The Growth Hub Team continue to maintain the COVID 19 section of the Growth Hub Portal with links to the available support. We continue to collate partner information and place it in our COVID-19 Business Support area of the Coast to Capital Growth Hub. We regularly tweet from @c2cGrowthHub with news, information and events. 

Reporting to Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

The Coast to Capital team report issues, impacts, requests, successes and concerns to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) each Monday by 12 noon. If you have information that you want to feed in to BEIS please send it to Jon Alderman and we will include it in our analysis and reporting.

CLBILS SCHEME GOES LIVE AND NEW FUTURE FUND ANNOUNCMENT

PPE Products available to order, including: 

• Protective Face Masks
• N95 Respirator face mask
• FFP3 face mask with valve
• Hand Sanitiser 
• Antibacterial wipes
• Digital thermometer
• Contact thermometer 
• Latex gloves
• Nitrile gloves
• Face shields
• Screen protector 
• Hand sanitiser stand 
• Safety googles 
• Silicone ear guard
• Screen protector 
• UV Sterilising Box with wireless charger

Click here to view full catalouge and for more information or a quote please email mike@monkmarketing.com 

MHA Carpenter Box invests in the future with ‘home grown’ Partner appointment

Sussex-based MHA Carpenter Box continues to invest in ‘home grown’ talent, with the promotion of Chris Reeves to Partner at the accountancy firm.

Chris, 33, has been appointed Partner having joined the practice as a trainee in 2004. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACCA) in 2010 and helped to set up the firm’s Gatwick office in 2015.

Chris commented: “MHA Carpenter Box has been a significant part of my life for the last 16 years since joining as a trainee, and I’m delighted to be made a Partner. It’s a great place to work, with brilliant people and I look forward to advising and engaging with clients for many years to come.

“Clearly, the business world is facing significant challenges at the moment, but we are working closely with clients to ensure they have access to the latest available information and the best advice through our dedicated coronavirus hub.  We are also adapting our working practices to ensure we continue to provide the best possible support at this critical time. For example, to help facilitate audit work, we’re using technology such as Skype and Teams for virtual stocktake attendances.”

In his role as Partner, Chris will help to drive the AAG (Assurance and Advisory Group) department forward as significant changes in the world of audit are expected over the next 12 months. Currently, he specialises in audit services focused on motor retail, pension schemes and FCA regulated entities in general, such as Independent Financial Advisers and brokers.

He lives in Shoreham-by-Sea and, having recently married, he enjoys family time with his spouse and two children. Outside of work, he takes a keen interest in football, tennis, golf and cars.

www.carpenterbox.com

Dinner delivered to your door from the Indigo Restaurant 

On Saturday 25th of April Indigo Resturant will be delivering dinner right to your door! The have also carefully selected some wines for you to choose from too. Take a look at what you have to look forward to! 

The Menu:

Fillet of Beef Wellington - £25.50
Wild Mushroom D’uxelle, gratin potato, a selection of vegetables, Madeira sauce.

Salmon and naturally smoked Haddock Coulibiac en croute - £24.50
Farce of free range egg, rice and fresh herbs, Champagne sauce, new potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

Vegetable Wellington (VEGAN) - £20.00
Sweet roasted peppers sauce, new potatoes and a selection of vegetables

Honey and Yoghurt set cheesecake - £6.85
Sprinkled with fresh Thyme set on crushed hobnob & served with mixed berries

Drinks:

Red

Altos d’Olivia Garnacha £16:50
From 100 year old vines Spain, rich intense red, perfect with beef
 
White

Charles and Charles Riesling £17:50
Washington State, Very fruity & aromatic perfect with fish
 
Sparkling

Prosecco Corte Alta 20 cl  £5:95

Champagne Brut, Baron de Beaupre - 1/2 bottle £16:00

Ordering and delivery information: 

• Order lines are open between 10.30am - 5.00pm
• Orders must be received by Thursday 23rd April
• All orders can be made & paid for online, just click on the button below and follow the instructions on our website

Please note that you will receive an automated conformation receipt saying "arrive in 1 minute" ignore this!! Delivery will be made on Saturday 25th April from 6.00pm - 7.30pm.
Robots still aren't that clever yet!
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Dishes will arrive as close to the temperature as they should be for perfect enjoyment. However a “zap” in the microwave or in a pre-heated oven will do the dish no harm (all containers are microwave / oven friendly!) but maybe not the cheesecake!!!!

https://www.indigorestaurant.info/dinner-delivered-to-your-door

Network Rail: Gatwick Airport Station Redevelopment

Work on the vital £150m upgrade to transform Gatwick Airport Railway Station is continuing during the COVID-19 restrictions where it is safe for staff to do so. This substantial investment will relieve crowding, improve accessibility and reduce train delays for millions of rail users and airport passengers, and support the UK economy. 

Project partners are regularly assessing the project and ensuring mitigation measures for every single activity are carefully risk assessed and fully compliant with regulations on social distancing, as well as guidance by Build UK and Public Health England. 

Click here to read more

Coast to Capital's Growth Hub offers one to one calls as part of its COVID-19 response.

The COVID-19 outbreak poses substantial challenges to businesses across the Coast to Capital area and the dedicated Coast to Capital Growth Hub team is committed to supporting businesses in Greater Brighton, West Sussex, East Surrey and Croydon by providing practical support and signposting to reliable information to help address the challenges of these exceptional times.

As part of the Coast to Capital response they have brought together a team of Growth Champions who can help you to develop business resilience and answer any questions you may have.

These sessions will be confidential and can be offered as either video or audio calls to suit you.

Click here to book your session

Buildings Insurance, Lease Covenants and Obligations COVID-19

Leases commonly include an obligation on the Landlord (or the Tenant, if the whole of a property is leased) to insure against named “Insured Risks” connected to damage and destruction of the Property which in turn can trigger:

• Rent suspension provisions
• Termination rights

However due to Buildings Insurance usually being linked to damage or destruction, the effects of COVID-19 may not constitute direct physical loss or damage nor is it likely to be covered by any of usual “Insured Risks”.

Contamination as a result of COVID-19 could be regarded as damage to the Property and may trigger cover but insurance policies may contain specific exclusions for such events relating to viruses.

We recommend you consult your insurer and/ or insurance broker for further information if you are unsure if your existing Buildings Insurance covers COVID-19 events.

It is also worth noting that Tenants should inform the Landlord if they have vacated the Property as it may have implications on the validity and/or extent of cover of the Buildings Insurance (assuming the Landlord insures the Building).  Usually a Tenant will be obligated under the terms of the Lease to inform the Landlord of any material changes relevant to the insurance and to comply with any requirements of the insurers.

Insurers often specify that vacant properties be properly secured and insurers may also limit their cover as a consequence.  Therefore a Landlord should check their policy and inform the Tenant of any such requirements they need to adhere to.  Where cover is limited, this may affect the Tenant’s liability for damage to the building resulting from a risk which would typically be covered by the Buildings Insurance but where cover for that particular risk has been withdrawn due to the building being unoccupied.

Written by, Annie Webb,  Solicitor at Bennett Griffin LLP

Family Advice Clinic - Bennett Griffin

Bennett Griffin are currently running Family Advice Clinics every Friday during the Covid-19 pandemic where you can secure a complimentary 15 minute slot with Jackie Mensah.

Click here to book your slot