Yesterday’s Chancellors’ support package confirmed over 170 local Hitchin town centre businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors becoming rates free from 1st April 2020. Businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or less are due to benefit from this announcement, collectively saving the town £1.8m over the next 12 months.
The Government is providing £20 billion of business rates support and grant funding to help the most-affected firms manage their cashflow through this period by:
Natwest -
HOLLY.HINTON@natwest.com
Barclays -
david.upstone@barclays.com
Nationwide –
karen.holland@nationwide.co.uk
HSBC –
clarestevens@hsbc.com
Lloyds -
Yvonne.Huxley@lloydsbanking.com or
lisa.wilmot@lloydsbanking.com
Santander -
sabino.russo@santander.co.uk
The Chancellor also announced additional ways the Government will be reducing the interruption that Covid-19 could bring to local businesses. Those with fewer than 250 staff will be refunded for sick pay payments for 2 weeks per employee. This can be accessed as a refund through HMRC, please contact your accountant for more information on this.
Andrew Pearce from Bradshaw Johnson Chartered Accountants on Bancroft has kindly agreed to offer free impartial financial business advice in this difficult and fast changing time. Please email
andrew.pearce@bjca.co.uk
For up to date advice on what local businesses should be considering, to reduce contamination and employment advice please visit
www.nhs.uk and
www.cdc.gov
To reassure your customers during this time, I am issuing posters to display in the window of your premises. By displaying this poster, you confirm to adhere to the statements made in line with the Government guidelines.
Please
Click Here to download your copy
We are adding a voucher section to the hitchinherts.com website, offering free voucher printing to all businesses and promoting businesses and products. I am liaising with the local MP and templating a letter to landlords raising questions around support and relief during this time.
Hitchin BID will continue to deliver its services for businesses at the same level in the town centre. We are doing everything we can to support you through this period of uncertainty. The Hitchin Information Centre will be open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Saturday as the one-stop-shop for information, questions and support. The Hitchin BID staff, and I will endeavour to keep you all updated via email, social media and deliveries as this situation unfolds.
Please do get in touch if you have any question or need any further advice or support.
Kind regards
Tom Hardy
Hitchin Town Centre Manager
Hitchin Business Improvement District
tom.hardy@hitchinherts.com
01462 453335