COVID-19: Essential Resources for Vauxhall Businesses

A collection of useful links, resources, advice, and templates for Vauxhall businesses to use in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 Information Hubs

For local information relating to COVID-19, stay up to date on the Mayor of London’s coronavirus hub with the latest police and NHS guidance, as well as helpful FAQs and business advice. Vauxhall MP Florence Eshalomi also has a great coronavirus support hub for locals and businesses.

For general COVID-19 legal advice, find helpful information on the John Gaunt & Partners website. For licensed premises in particular, head to the Licensed Trade Charity website for employee grants and a dedicated helpline, and the BBPA website for template letters to local authorities and MPs.

Financial Support

The Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk office works with cultural, creative industries and night-time businesses to ensure those affected by the COVID-19 crisis get the support they need. Register with them to use their services, including mediating disputes and reviewing planning applications.

The Grassroots Music Venue Crisis Service provides sector support to Grassroots Music Venues facing urgent and immediate challenges due to COVID-19. Access support from a team of leading experts on tenancy issues, rent and mortgage negotiations, planning, licencing, legal contractual issues and more. Apply for the service here.

Diversifying Your Business

As well as the Pay it Forward scheme, offering 100% free fundraising to help businesses secure trade by pre-selling vouchers, goods and services, COVID-19 has also provided an opportunity to offer new and different services.

Find free online courses with CPL Learning on how to adapt to COVID-19, including Planning Delivery and TakeawayTaking Proactive Action in Hospitality and Taking Proactive Action in Retail.

For pubs, cafés and restaurants, the Morning Advertiser has advice on how to launch a takeaway offer including licensing guidance and examples of best practice.

Returning to the Workplace

Find free business-specific resources on crisis communications and managing remote work on the FindCourses website, and get sector-specific guides to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic on the GOV.uk website. Sectors include restaurants offering takeaway services, shops and offices.

Stuck for where to begin on a COVID-19 risk assessment? Use the London Growth Hub’s checklist to help plan, communicate and manage risk in the workplace during the enforcement of social distancing measures. You can find example risk assessments on the HSE website broken down by business sector, as well as advice on how to work safely during the pandemic, how to report any cases and how to protect your employees.

For businesses handling food, great advice can be found on the Food Standards Agency and GOV.uk websites, including advice on hygiene, food packaging, managing employee sickness and maintaining social distancing.

Lambeth Council have also created handy posters for customer-facing and staff areas with social distancing guidance and helpful reminders.

 

Sign up for our weekly update where we share the newest information and support available to local businesses.

Business Advice: How to adapt to COVID-19 regulations

The Met Police and Lambeth Council have provided great advice on how to adapt your business premises across the next few months.

The guidelines can be found for shopkeepers and takeaway food vendors and a notice that you can print and display for customers can be found below.

Find the latest updates on whether your business is permitted to trade and any exemptions to lockdown measures on the GOV.uk website

Vauxhall One’s New Electric Cargo Bikes

As part of Vauxhall One’s commitment to using greener technology and improving the area’s air quality, two new electric cargo bikes are now on the roads in Vauxhall.

In addition to Vauxhall One’s electric van, the bikes are used to transport greening and cleaning equipment around town in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

Vauxhall One has also installed several greening projects around central Vauxhall to improve the air quality, including the Clean Air Garden on Albert Embankment, whiskey barrel planters, hanging baskets and the new green wall on South Lambeth Place.

Support the #RaiseTheBar Campaign

The #RaiseTheBar campaign have announced that we have just 8 weeks to save the nation’s high streets.

Their research finds that 54,638 businesses across England and Wales are currently unable to access the £25,000 retail, hospitality and leisure grant [RHLG], with the ‘discretionary fund’ to Local Authorities falling short by £748m to help businesses in need.

#RaiseTheBar has also calculated that a total of £1.365bn is needed to support all of these 54,638 businesses, with those on the high street facing an eight-week countdown until the due date for quarterly rent on 24 June.

Action is needed now to allow more businesses access to the RHLG grant, by increasing the rateable value threshold and allowing these businesses to access vital financial support. 86 MPs have signed a letter to the Chancellor supporting this, and Rt. Hon. Dominic Raab MP has taken the #RaiseTheBar ask to the Treasury.

Show your support by sharing #RaiseTheBar on your socials and signing the petition here.

Read the full release from #RaiseTheBar here.