Business Spot Checks
The council will be working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to contact and visit businesses across the Borough to ensure they are Covid-secure, keeping staff and customers safe and well.
The Government tasked HSE with carrying out spot checks on businesses to ensure Covid compliance, and this work has been given to Local Authorities to carry out the inspections on their behalf from Monday 5 July, expected to last three to four weeks.
During the checks, the Council’s regulatory services team will provide advice and guidance to manage risk and protect workers, customers and visitors. This can range from giving specific advice, issuing enforcement notices, stopping certain work practices until they are made safe and, where businesses fail to comply, prosecution.
Being Covid-secure means that businesses need to put adjustments in place to manage the risk and protect workers and others from Coronavirus. For further information on how to manage the risk of coronavirus in different business sectors please read the government guidance.
Don’t miss out - Business Grants
The deadline for applications for phase 2 of the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) has been extended. Applications are being accepted from businesses, including taxi drivers and those from the creative and cultural sector, that have not received help support previously. You do not have to pay business rates to be eligible for ARG but you will have suffered losses due to the impacts of COVID-19. More information and the application form for this grant can be found here. Applications for this grant stream are open until 9 July 2021, so make sure you apply before then if you think your business fits the criteria.
Southend Business Partnership Briefing
The first in-person Southend Business Partnership Briefing in over a year will take place on 16 September 2021 at The Boundary Garon Park. The briefing is not only about information sharing but provides an opportunity for networking, you could also secure some exhibition space for your organisation. For more details and to register for free please go to: https://bit.ly/3doSCed
More information & staying up to date
Information and guidance on COVID-19 changes regularly and it can be difficult to keep up – there are four excellent ways of staying on top of the latest announcements and getting new information about doing business in Southend.
The council’s COVID-19 advice pages for businesses are regularly updated with new advice and guidance from central government.
You can also check out the latest announcements from Central Government including the latest advice about reopening.
To receive a monthly newsletter with useful information including support available for businesses throughout COVID-19 recovery and beyond, email economicd@southend.gov.uk and ask to be included on the Southend Business Partnership newsletter.
A number of "Community Connectors" are currently helping pass on or signpost people to facts and support about the pandemic. Could this be you? Southend on Sea Borough Council, SAVS and partner organisations are reaching out to those who already share information in their community and could help this way. If you could help, please see this page for more info.
