An update from Nordell Ltd 

Nordell is one of the UK’s leading independent Plastics Manufacturing and Design refinement companies based in Worthing, West Sussex and offering a comprehensive range of Dedicated Services to complement our core Plastic Injection moulding and Extrusion manufacturing business. Nordell are proud and active members of Worthing and Adur Chamber.

The current Covid-19 situation has certainly produced several challenges for Paul Mason, Nordell Managing Director and his 80 strong team; “Never in our lifetime have we experienced such a challenge to human health and the economy”

Nordell has remained fully operational as an essential business manufacturing parts for vital sectors such as medical and pharmaceutical, however with a significant change to our working practices. We reacted very quickly and implemented new working controls ahead of the UK Governments advice; this included temperature checking employees on arrival (giving a huge sense of security to the team), ensuring sufficient distancing in the work space and rest spaces, reorganising the working week and more than doubling access to hand sanitisation to name but a few. Where we have team working at home, we are maintaining a high level of communication through twice daily check-in’s on Microsoft Teams; a valuable an interesting technology especially for the nosey ones who have enjoyed checking out small snippets of their colleagues homes!

We received more than a dozen letters from our customers advising Nordell of the “essential” nature of the parts we produce. Nordell has a diverse customer base, however most of the parts we manufacture, and supply are used in the production of Healthcare, medical, pharmaceutical and Food processing equipment; some directly going into critical ventilator systems.

When the UK Government raised their concern over the shortfall of ventilators required in the fight against Covid-19, we engaged with some of our local manufacturing counterparts in the Worthing and Adur Chamber to put a proposal together for the manufacture of ventilators using our combined skills. This never progressed following the UK Governments award of contracts to several very capable and significant UK manufactures. The exercise was very useful though, as it proved how local businesses could collaborate in times of crisis.

As for Nordell’s business, we must count ourselves lucky that we have managed to maintain our business and in fact are still managing to grow despite the challenges. It’s true that we have seen huge growth in accounts where our parts are used in the Covid-19, whilst other accounts have seen a significant decline as they are directly linked to the retail sectors. We have been able to keep the whole team working; however, a significant amount of time has been spent reviewing the various Government support options and reviewing our risk exposure. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to all the Adur & Worthing & Global businesses who have been impacted through no fault of their own. I am sure somewhere there are some learnings to come from the current situation and we must all remain positive about the future.

Our membership of Worthing and Adur Chamber is very worthwhile. The Chamber are fantastic representatives for local businesses and can represent local business on a national level. We were able to join a Webinar in March with Tim Loughton; Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, organised by Worthing and Adur Chamber. When the UK Government initially announced the Lockdown of non-essential business, there was no mention of manufacturing being included on the essential or key workers list. The subject was raised with the Chamber, seeking clarification which was raised with Tim Loughton and then answered on the Webinar. Not long afterwards the Government clarified the position of UK manufacturing as “essential”.

Despite all the significant challenges and the slightly quieter office, we have been able to use the time to review and focus on what matters most to all our stakeholders, by reviewing our structure and processes; getting back to basics to ensure we are LEAN and productive and not wasteful.

Returning to full normality seems a long way off, however, hopefully we will all be able to return to some sort of normality soon, albeit with significant additional controls. We will all learn from this experience and come out stronger for it.

www.nordell.co.uk

Worthing Theatres and Museum launch short story competition themed around the mysterious ‘Highdown Goblet’.
 
As part of their aim to continue engaging the local community in arts and culture during the covid lockdown, Worthing Theatres and Museum have launched a short story competition for school children. They are asking children to write a short story suggesting how the ancient Highdown Goblet, part of the WTM collection, came to be buried at Highdown Hill!
 
The Highdown Goblet is one of Sussex's great archaeological mysteries! Made in Egypt, but with Greek writing and found buried on the Sussex coast with a possibly Germanic settler. Mysterious right?
 
So mysterious there are no definitive answers! So WTM are asking children to get creative and write a short story to explain how the fragile glass goblet ended up there. Was it bought and sold many times over, stolen or given as a gift to a weary traveller, or maybe there was magic, aliens or time travellers involved?
 
Let your imagination run wild and create the most unique and magical story you can, don’t worry it doesn’t have to be historically accurate!
 
More details on the Highdown Goblet and Highdown Hill can be found on their website at wtam.uk/stories/highdown-goblet-story/.
 
Stories should be less than 500 words and winners will be selected from three age groups: 7 and under, 8-11, and 12-16. The closing date is Wednesday 3rd June 2020 and winners will receive 4 tickets to the family show of their choice! Entries can be emailed to marketing@wtam.uk.
 
Find out more about the competition on their website at wtam.uk/stories/highdown-goblet-story/. Entries can be submitted via marketing@wtam.uk or via their social media @wtmworthing.

West Sussex County Council appeal for PPE

West Sussex County Council is calling upon local businesses that may be able to supply or donate any personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect frontline workers who are delivering essential services to residents during the coronavirus outbreak.

A dedicated inbox has been set up for businesses who may be able to help – PPEOffers@westsussex.gov.uk. Further information on the appeal, including examples of what PPE are needed can be found here.

Businesses overwhelmingly support campaign for 'Part Furlough'

More than four fifths of firms back a motion to introduce a ‘part furlough’ element to the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, according the results of a survey released today.

Outsourced HR provider The HR Dept asked companies around the UK for feedback on the Government’s support package for businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis.

From 915 respondents, 82 per cent said they would like to see an option to part furlough their employees, so skeleton staff could carry out fundamental business activity such as payroll and invoicing and make the business ready for a return to more normal activity.

While the Government’s support package has been universally welcomed, businesses say the all-or-nothing nature of the furlough system prevents essential tasks being undertaken on a reduced hours basis. They also suggest potential for resentment among staff who are asked to work fewer hours for reduced pay, against those furloughed on 80 per cent of full pay and not working.

The survey also asked respondents whether they had employees who were ineligible for furloughing because they were not placed on PAYE schemes before the cut-off date of March 19^th. Over a third (36 per cent), said that they did.

The HR Dept, whose network of licensees support more than 6,500 SMEs around the UK with outsourced HR, now plans to take the results of the survey to contacts in the Government and to share with influential bodies such as the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Leading The HR Dept’s work on this matter is Sue Beeby, who owns The HR Dept in the Worthing and Adur area.

Sue said: “The survey puts concrete figures on what we suspected from discussions with our clients in the SME community. Namely that, while extremely welcome, the Government’s support package needs an appropriate intervention to reflect the genuine and widespread concerns of businesses at the smaller end of the spectrum.

“Many of the company owners I have spoken to since the scheme was introduced – and this is backed up by the results of our survey – say that, because the system does not allow employees to do any work at all, most businesses are without the reduced but important contributions needed to keep core business activities going. Nor are they able to prepare for a resumption of activities when the furlough period is ended.

“Those staff who may not get furloughed and are still working, often on reduced hours, with a limited number of statutory guarantee pay days making up the time when they are not required, then reverting to nil pay for non-working days. This is a major decrease in their earnings at a time when many colleagues are earning close to full wages despite not working at all.

“This poses serious problems for continuity, morale among employees and potential burn-out for company owners who are having to take on extra responsibility rather than asking employees to work in unfair pay situations.

“However, as often happens with constructive policy debate these concerns of smaller businesses are rarely aired and so we are doing all we can to represent their concerns.”

The HR Dept’s proposed solution is an additional ‘short time working scheme’ and for non-working days to pay not the guarantee statutory pay of £30 per day (currently at a maximum of five days) but the same 80 per cent rate of daily pay, capped at circa £115 per day.  She believes this would give businesses the flexibility to see some work carried out and parity in compensatory pay for those not working normal contractual hours.

Sue said: “This would be a pragmatic, fair, equitable and much needed solution, that would be welcomed by SMEs and keep the wheels of commerce and industry going, subject to complying at all times with guidance from Public Health.

“Otherwise, there is a danger of creating a disincentive to work and of negatively reinforcing wrong behaviours which are not in the best interests of the employer or the economy. The less flexibility there is, the greater the risk of fraudulent claims being made to HMRC on behalf of employees who are actually continuing to work part-time behind the scenes.”

The HR Dept’s position for flexibility has been supported by the CIPD’s head of public policy Ben Willmott, who was keynote speaker at the company’s annual conference for franchisees last year.

In a blog published on the CIPD website this week, Mr Willmott said: “The UK ‘all or nothing’ furlough approach may be simpler and easier to administrate than a more flexible scheme which enables short-time working but it also has significant drawbacks and disadvantages.

“Firstly, it does not allow organisations to continue to use staff on reduced hours where this is possible, meaning it is much harder for employers to flex their workforce efficiently, placing more pressure on remaining non-furloughed staff who often have to work harder or in unfamiliar roles to compensate.

“This is a particular challenge for micro and small firms under most financial pressure and with fewer staffing options.”

Article by Sue Beeby from HR Dept 
www.hrdept.co.uk/chichester-bognor-regis-arundel/

Furlough leave: the HMRC Job Retention Scheme

This free-to-attend webinar explains HMRC's scheme for employers who have furloughed their workers, or who are planning to. It includes:

· Who can claim

· What can be claimed, and what's excluded

· Maternity leave considerations

·  National Minimum Wage considerations

· Effects on holiday entitlement

· Selecting employees for furlough and gaining agreement

·  Shielding and furlough

Tuesday 12 May, 2pm to 3pm  |  register

Business Update from Sussex Transport

In these troubling times we are aware that many customers are ramping up production and demand for goods has increased. We are also aware that driver levels will be fluctuating with self-isolation across the industry.
 
We are continuing to operate all our usual services including all destinations across the UK until we are advised otherwise. We receive continuous updates from the Road Hauliers Association (RHA) with information on border checks and freight movement restrictions so we can keep an eye on potential issues with your incoming goods.
 
We have the following vehicle capacity available:

• Artics (some with Moffet) C/S + Flat
• Hiabs
• Low Loader
• 18T C/S
• 12T C/S
• Vans

Top-up to local business grant funds scheme

A discretionary fund has been set up to accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme.

The Business Secretary Alok Sharma and Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke spoke to local authorities in England yesterday to set out that up to £617 million would be made available.

This is an additional 5% uplift to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF), so up to £617 million. We will confirm the exact amount for each local authority next week.

This additional fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared spaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. But local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need. The allocation of funding will be at the discretion of local authorities.

Businesses 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.

There will be three levels of grant payments. The maximum will be £25,000. There will also be grants of £10,000. local authorities will have discretion to make payments of any amount under £10,000. It will be for councils to adapt this approach to local circumstances.

Further guidance for local authorities will be set out shortly.

As of 27 April, over £7.5 billion has been paid out to over 614,000 business properties via the SBGF and RHLGF schemes. This is over 61% of the grant funding allocated to local authorities.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/top-up-to-local-business-grant-funds-scheme

Bounce Back Loan Scheme - Now open for applications! 

Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement, the Bounce Back Loan Scheme is now open for applications.

Delivered by lenders accredited by the British Business Bank for this scheme, Bounce Back Loans target small and micro businesses in all sectors, providing loans from £2k up to 25% of the business’ turnover with a maximum loan of £50k.

Providing lenders with a 100% government-backed guarantee and standardising the application form is expected to lead to a faster process with many loans becoming available within days

Scheme features

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme enables businesses to obtain a six-year term loan at a government set interest rate of 2.5% a year. The government will cover interest payable in the first year.

• Up to £50,000 loan: Loans will be from £2,000 up to 25% of a business’ turnover or £50,000, whichever is lower.
• 100% guarantee: The scheme provides the lender with a government-backed, full guarantee (100%) against the outstanding facility balance, both capital and interest. The borrower always remains 100% liable for the debt.
• Interest rate: The government has set the interest rate for this facility at 2.5% per annum, meaning businesses will all benefit from the same, low rate of interest.
• Interest paid by government for 12 months: The government will make a Business Interruption Payment to the lenders to cover the first 12 months of interest payable, so businesses will benefit from no upfront costs.
• No principal repayments for first 12 months: Borrowers will not have to begin principal repayments for the first 12 months, thereafter capital will be repaid on a straight line basis.
• No guarantee fee for businesses or lenders to access the scheme.
• Finance terms: The length of the loan is for six years but early repayment is allowed, without early repayment fees.
• No personal guarantees: No personal guarantees are allowed, and no recovery action can be taken over a principal private residence or principal private vehicle.

The borrower always remains 100% liable for the debt.

Eligibility criteria

Businesses from all sectors can apply for a facility. The business must self-certify to its lender the following:

• Confirm it is UK-based in its business activity, and established by 1 March 2020
• Confirm it has been adversely impacted by the Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Confirm it is not currently using a government-backed Coronavirus loan scheme (unless using BBLS to refinance a whole facility)
• Confirm it is not in bankruptcy, liquidation or undergoing debt restructuring 

How to apply

Businesses should check the British Business Bank website to find out which lenders provide Bounce Back Loans.

View and select an accredited lender

Businesses will be required to fill in a short online application form on their lender’s website, which self-certifies whether they are eligible for a Bounce Back Loan facility. Eligible companies will be subject to standard customer fraud, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. Some State aid restrictions may apply to applications.

View our Bounce Back Loan Scheme frequently asked questions

Message from the AWBP Chair, Andrew Swayne

It’s now clearly time to plan for recovery mode.

 We’re fortunate that the government wants to listen to businesses and we plan to put some initial Adur and Worthing business feedback into government, probably via Coast to Capital LEP and Greater Brighton, during next week. We welcome feedback and ideas, be that either sector or locality based. Some headings you might like to consider when sharing your thoughts:

● What do we need to know from the government to recover our businesses?

● What future business support needs might be required?

● What have we got to help the government make decisions or support recovery (products and services)?

● Examples of collaboration that support the above

 It’s good that additional funding mechanisms have been released by the government and that further progress in issuing the grants has been achieved by the Councils. If you have any concerns or feedback to share please use business.covidsupport@adur-worthing.gov.uk and add ‘recovery feedback’ in the subject title.

 This week I would like to feature our care sector for a special mention. I’ve been fortunate to talk to some of the homes as part of Ricardo’s CSR work and I am particularly impressed by the commitment to high quality care from the managers and staff of these businesses. They are living in very challenging times doing great work.

Normandy Veteran Recreates Channel Crossing Distance for Charity Challenge

Normandy Veteran, Len Gibbon, 96, has decided to recreate his historic journey across the Channel by cycling the distance from Portsmouth to Gold Beach on a static bike in aid of charity, Care for Veterans. 
 
Len aims to complete the 104-mile distance by 6^th June, which will mark the 76^th anniversary of the first Normandy landings.
 
Originally from Elephant and Castle in London, Len joined the Royal Army Service Corps as a Despatch Rider when he was just 20 years old. In early June 1944, Len got married and then four days later he was posted to Normandy. He arrived there on the 14^th June, eight days into the operation. 
 
Len was in Normandy through to the end of the invasion, then went to the Netherlands via Brussels, and was part of Operation Market Garden in September of 1944. From there, he was posted in Germany, which is where he was when the War ended.
 
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!"
 
Based in Worthing, West Sussex, Care for Veterans has provided care and rehabilitation to physically disabled ex-Service personnel and their families since 1919. The charity 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’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 Len 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