Business and financial support for new lockdown measures

New business closures and restrictions are being introduced by the Government from Thursday, November 5^th as the country enters anther lockdown.

This means that many businesses in Blackburn with Darwen will have to close temporarily while the lockdown is in place.

Businesses and organisations classed by the Government as ‘non-essential’ will be closed from Thursday, November 5^th. The lockdown is currently estimated to last until December 2^nd.

These businesses are:

• all non-essential retail
• indoor and outdoor leisure facilities
• entertainment venues
• personal care facilities such as hair, beauty and nail salons
• Hospitality venues such as restaurants, bars and pubs must close,

Local businesses in Blackburn with Darwen affected by the closures will have access to the following:

1. New Local Business Restrictions grant with specific payments for specific classes of eligible businesses that are closed by the new Government regulations
2. Additional Restrictions Grant which is a discretionary grant.

More details on how to apply for the grants and who is eligible will be available on the Council website shortly. Certain payments pre-dating the lockdown will still be available, including Tier 3 payments, and we should have clarification on these shortly.

Full details of the new regulations on which businesses and services will have to close have been published and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november.

Details on the financial support available so far can be found here: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/coronavirus/support-business

The Government also announced an extension to the furlough scheme for employees, who will be paid at least 80% of their salary up to £2500 a month if they are not able to work due to the lockdown closures.

Details on this can also be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/furlough-scheme-extended-and-further-economic-support-announced

Councillor Phil Riley, Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:

This is obviously absolutely devastating for businesses and firms in the borough, especially as many had only just started to get back up and running after the first lockdown.

It is even more heart breaking after the work that has gone in to help make premises as safe and Covid-secure as possible. I know the dedicated and work that has gone into these businesses and it is awful for this to happen again.

As ever, the Council will do what it can to help and support you. We are always lobbying government for more financial help and this will not change. This situation is a temporary one and hopefully won’t last as long as the lockdown earlier this year. Wee due to come out of this in some way on December 2^nd and I hope it stays that way.

However, as awful as it is to see businesses close again, these measures are being taken to try and get the incidences of the virus down on our borough, which remains very high and something obviously needs to be done. If we all pull together and work hard at this during lockdown we can hopefully get back to some sort of normality as soon as possible.”