Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) and Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG)

The government has announced that business premises forced to close in England due to national restrictions are to receive grants worth up to £3,000 a month under the Local Restrictions Support Grant.

The rate of payment will be:

• For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per four weeks;
• For properties with a rateable value of over £15k and below £51k, grants to be £2,000 per four weeks;
• For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over, grants to be £3,000 per four weeks.

For the latest information visit Runnymede Borough Council website on how to make an application:

https://runnymede.gov.uk/article/19345/Grants-for-Business-Rates

Further details will also follow regarding Runnymede Borough Council’s discretionary policy for Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).

Expanded Retail Discount 2020/21

The government has announced it will provide 100% Business Rates Relief for the 2020/21 financial year for eligible occupied retail, hospitality and leisure properties.

All ratepayers who received retail discount in 2019/2020 will automatically receive the revised 100% discount. This is for the period 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. An amended bill will be issued in April.

We will identity any other accounts that meet the criteria, automatically update our records and issue amended bills in due course.

The Surrey Chambers of Commerce, supported by projectfive and Greatest Hits Radio, are delighted to bring you their Start-Up Academy. By becoming a member of the Academy you can work alongside your peer group and grow your business. By utilising the expertise of the members, they ensure that you will get the best advice and resources needed to develop your business and increase your network.

The Academy will take place once a month from 26th October 2020 – 17th May 2021, when a graduation ceremony will take place.

Key areas of business will be covered in-depth, with an informative talk for the first half of the day, followed by an interactive session in the afternoon.

Running from 10 am - 1.30 pm, you will be offered the chance to work remotely in projective's office space – a great opportunity to continue getting to know your fellow cohort members and expand your network.

Monthly Topics:

23rd November 2020: How to make a business successful – Mike Turner, youbecome

7th December 2020: Digital Media & Marketing Strategy – David Evans & Carrie Crosland, Akiko

18th January 2021: Sales & Negotiation – Paul Glynn, Sandler

22nd February 2021: IT & Cyber Crime – Steve Coburn, projectfive

15th March 2021: HR & Compliance – Martine Robins, The HR Dept

19th April: Budgets & Raising Money – Daniel Morgan, Haines Watts Chartered Accountants

17th May 2021: Graduation – Recap of learning, future support options, measure initial objectives.

Event Agenda:

10:00 – Arrival with networking/tea and coffee

10:30 – Headline speaker opens

11:30 – 12:30 – Networking and Lunch

12:30 – 13:30 – Interactive session

13:30 – event close/networking Delegates are welcome to stay on and work from projectfive's offices

For further information on criteria for the event days visit:

Surrey Chambers of Commerce

New business park to ‘support wider community’

A new 62,937 sq ft business park has just been launched in Chertsey, with flexible units for up to 12 companies, creating the potential for businesses to relocate or expand in the town.

The business park has been created on land already owned by Runnymede Borough Council, to help improve the boroughs local economy and support the employment of local people.

Chertsey Business Park is located within the town’s Hanworth Lane industrial estate so its occupants will be in the centre of an existing lively business community. Hanworth Lane is already home to luxury furniture provider Kesterport, railway and civil engineering company Lowery, flooring supplier YTD UK systems, engineering house Drumgrange and industrial after-market parts retailer KM Products Europe.

The two-acre site is expecting its first tenant to open the doors to their business before the new year.

The Council is now calling on companies which can see the potential of the new location, to consider Chertsey Business Park.

You can find out more about Chertsey Business Park on our property portal:

Business Runnymede property portal

Surrey Chambers of Commerce continue to support businesses through regular events and webinars plus regular networking coffee mornings.

If your looking for support and advice during lockdown, or you are preparing for post Brexit visit their website event listings at :

Surrey Chamber of Commerce events

2 December 2020 10am-3pm

EM3 Live interactive day is full of experiences speakers, sessions, and online networking to help inspire businesses. There will be feature keynote speakers who will motivate and educate attendees to help their business go further and shake up their business strategy for 2021.

This event will be delivered using world-class virtual event software, OnAir, which will recreate all the aspects of a real-life event in a virtual world which means you can still network and chat - all from the comfort and safety of our laptops!

Please don't miss out on this one-off event - book your free place today with EM3

For more information visit: EnterpriseM3 Events

Is your business ready for changes at the end of the year?

The transition period is ending on 31 December and there will be no extension.

The UK will no longer be part of the EU Customs Union and Single Market. This means that, regardless of whether we reach a free trade agreement with the EU, there will be new rules for businesses from 1 January 2021 which require immediate action. Your business needs to act now to prepare for these new rules. If you do not take action, there is a risk your business operations will be interrupted.

As a first step, you should visit gov.uk/transition where you can use the checker tool to quickly identify the actions that your business needs to take. The checker tool will ask you questions about your business and provide all the information you need to be aware of such as new rules on:

• Importing and Exporting
• Moving goods to and from Northern Ireland including Trader Support Service
• Travelling abroad for work
• Hiring staff from the EU

EM3 also have a wealth of supporting information on transition support.

You can visit the EU transitioning pages on their website here:

enterprisem3growthhub.co.uk/uk-transition

Using social media has become important through lockdown. I've seen some really inventive ideas and ways of engaging with customers although doors may be closed.

We will be posting regular updates on our website, as well as sending out our e-newsletter and messages on Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

Join us on Instagram www.instagram.com/business_runnymede/ and check out our Lockdown tab in stories, where we are sharing local businesses who have adapted to the lockdown.

Come and say hello and follow us! We are happy to share your posts and profiles.