Apr 6 2020 Amendments to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme Categories: COVID-19EQ News Since the introduction of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), there have been over 130,000 enquires from businesses across the UK. However, less than 1,000 businesses have had loans approved under the new Government scheme. With no restrictions on interest rates, banks were offering CBILS loans with interest rates of up to 30% and demanding more
Apr 3 2020 The impact of COVID-19 on the construction sector Categories: COVID-19Property & Construction As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its firm grip of the UK, leaving all but essential construction works on hold until the crisis is over, businesses are now trying to assess the damage this will cause with the majority of sites forced to close and what support is available. The postponement of the reforms to the more
Apr 2 2020 COVID-19 guidance for charities published by OSCR Categories: CharitiesCOVID-19 Charities are understandably concerned about what to do during the COVID-19 pandemic and are having to rapidly adapt their operations to keep their organisations safe. Most charities will need to change the way they work during the outbreak and to help with this the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) have published COVID-19 guidance for charities, providing information more
Mar 31 2020 Further support details for NHS Dental Services Categories: COVID-19Healthcare Following the initial announcement on 17th March, Chief Dental Officer, Tom Ferris, announced an amendment to further reassure and protect the NHS dental services. In addition to the protection provided through capitation and continuing care payments, the funding package will now provide 80% of the average income from item of service and patient contribution. GDPA, reimbursement more
Mar 31 2020 Updated Support for Furnished Holiday Let Owners Categories: COVID-19Leisure When the announcement on the Coronavirus Business Support Fund was first made, it originally excluded furnished holiday lets from the scheme which many self-catering business owners felt was misjudged. The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has since been engaged in discussions with the Scottish Government over the eligibility criteria to allow access to the Coronavirus Business Support Fund more
Mar 30 2020 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – The Key Facts Categories: COVID-19EQ News Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salaries for those who would otherwise have been laid off during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Described as “furloughed workers”, the employees are those that the employer cannot afford to pay due to coronavirus and more
Mar 30 2020 The impact of COVID-19 on the charity sector Categories: CharitiesCOVID-19 As the coronavirus continues to affect individuals, companies and charities alike, our specialist EQ Charities team have been supporting our diverse client base with their questions regarding the ongoing crisis. OSCR has been issuing guidelines which are updated regularly. This information can be viewed here, however, we know that there is no one size fits all more
Mar 27 2020 Our COVID-19 Weekly Roundup Categories: COVID-19EQ News Given the number of Coronavirus business related updates which have been released this week, we felt it would be useful to consolidate the current position as we go into the weekend. Below are the main areas of support for companies and the self-employed. General government schemes applying to Scottish businesses HMRC Coronavirus Helpline This number more