COVID-19 - Business Support

Thank you for contacting me about the support available for small businesses as a result of Coronavirus.

We know small business owners are deeply worried about Coronavirus – the impact it will have on their
incomes and the long-term future of their businesses.

The Chancellor has set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to protect small businesses through these difficult times as part of the national effort in response to coronavirus, including:

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme:

The Government is stepping in and helping pay people’s wages – a scheme which is one of the most generous of any in the world – paying grants to support as many jobs as necessary. Any employer in the country – large, small, charitable or for profit – who promises to retain their staff, can apply for a grant to cover most of the cost of paying people’s wages. Government grants will cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month – above the median income. We will place no limit on these grants.

The cost of wages will be backdated to 1st March and will be open initially for at least three months – and we will extend the scheme for longer if necessary.

To apply go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Deferring VAT and Income Tax payments

Deferring the next three months of VAT tax, a direct injection of over £30 billion of cash to
employers, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of GDP.

That means no business will pay any VAT from now until the end of June, and they will have until the end of the financial year to repay those bills.

To find out more go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferral-of-vat-payments-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19

Statutory Sick Pay relief package for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)

Supporting small and medium-sized businesses to cope with the extra costs of paying Statutory Sick
Pay (SSP) by refunding eligible SSP costs.

This will allow small-and medium-sized businesses and employers to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be as follows:

·         this refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19

·         employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible - the size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020

·         employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19

·         employers should maintain records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note. If evidence is required by an employer, those with symptoms of coronavirus can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online and those who live with someone that has symptoms can get a note from the NHS website

·         eligible period for the scheme will commence the day after the regulations on the extension of SSP to those staying at home comes into force

·         the government will work with employers over the coming months to set up the repayment mechanism for employers as soon as possible

12-month business rates holiday

This applies to all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in England

To estimate your business rates go to the following calculator:

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-business-rates

Small business grant funding

of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000

Further information on this can be found at;

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/council-news-room/media-releases/news-from-2020/news-from-march-2020/help-for-cornwall-businesses-through-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through British Business Bank, with no interest for 12 months.

Further information can be found at:

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/current-accredited-lenders-and-partners/

The Government has also announced measures to help people with the cost of living during this unprecedented time. Self-employed people can benefit from a three-month mortgage holiday, deferring the next three months of VAT tax, deferring income tax self-assessment payments due in July 2020, alongside further measures to protect renters and to help people with their energy bills.

If demand is greater than the initial £330 billion we are making available, we will go further and provide as much capacity as required. That means any good business in financial difficulty who needs access to cash to pay their rent, the salaries of their employees, pay suppliers, or purchase stock, will be able to access a government-backed loan, on attractive terms.

As you can appreciate, this is a fast-moving situation. I would strongly advise you to check the Government website, at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses, for the very latest guidance and support.

Newspaper column 26 March 2020 - COVID Update

Over the past week the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated to become the greatest challenge we as a nation have faced in a generation.

I have been up in Parliament this past week debating and voting on the emergency legislation, the COVID-19 Bill which will give the government the powers it needs to help the country tackle this virus.

I will talk about some of the measures implemented since I last wrote for the West Briton last Thursday.

On Friday our schools across the country closed, with the vast majority of children now being home schooled until further notice. I would like to thank all teachers and staff at academies across the Truro and Falmouth constituency for putting these measures in place so quickly and effectively.

On Friday evening the Chancellor outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to coronavirus.

A new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of their workforce who remain on payroll but are temporarily not working during the coronavirus outbreak. Any employer in the country- small or large, charitable or non-profit will be eligible for the scheme.

Universal Credit and tax credits will also be increased as part of an almost £7 billion welfare boost, as he outlined one of the most generous business and welfare packages by any government so far in response to Covid-19.

On Friday the Government instructed entertainment and hospitality premises, like bars and restaurants, to close to limit spread of coronavirus. At the same time I was publicly telling people, along with my Cornish MP colleagues, not to come to Cornwall on holiday.

Sadly there were lots of people who did not heed this warning, or the guidance from the Government about social distancing, which led to the Prime Minister on Monday night closing all non-essential shops and essentially locking down the country. As I have said before, these are unprecedented measures for difficult times.

I would again like to thank the NHS staff, community carers and those who work at pharmacies for their work in these most difficult of circumstances, as well as the countless volunteers and community groups that have sprung up to ensure those vulnerable people in our communities do not get forgotten at this time.

In ironic news, given that a lot of us are now asked to work from home, I now have a constituency office, located at Lemon Chapel, William Street, Truro, TR1 2ED. I hope to be able to utilise it fully once these restrictions have passed. You can still get hold of me at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk or you can call and leave a message, which will be picked up on 0207 2193713. I will also continue to update my website on relevant information about the pandemic at

 https://www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk/information-coronavirus-covid-19

And post very regular updates on the latest updates and news available on my Facebook 

page  https://www.facebook.com/thisischerilyn/

Please do stay at home wherever possible, work to support elderly or vulnerable people in our communities, and we will come through this together.

Campaign response - 'Support Transition Period Extension'.

I am your constituent and a Best for Britain supporter. I have seen that the UK Government is looking at whether to extend transition period beyond the current 31st December limit. Please know that I support this wholeheartedly.

The UK has already left the EU. The Government has my full support in combatting this public health emergency. But in light of the current crisis, we must be single-minded in our desire to kill COVID-19 and keep people safe.

Our country is fighting this disease tooth and nail, but we need to tackle one crisis at a time. It makes no sense to impose an arbitrary deadline for a trade deal with the EU under those circumstances. If we give ourselves no time, we won’t get a good deal – it’s as simple as that.

I believe Britain stands to benefit massively by removing that unhelpful deadline. Please support the Government as they seek to extend transition.

I would appreciate a response detailing your views and intentions on this matter.

 
Many constituents have recently written in suggesting that the UK Government should extend the current transition period arrangement with the European Union. 

The reason for the transition period is only until the end of this year is because currently, we still have to abide by EU laws and rules until it is over. We do not have a say on these laws and rules and therefore it is vital that we do not extend the transition period. 

The deadline we have set on EU trade negotiations is reasonable and realistic, but I do appreciate the concerns on this due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, David Frost the UK’s chief negotiator and Michel Barnier the EU’s chief negotiator are separate from dealing with COVID-19. Them and their teams can therefore focus their efforts entirely on getting a trade deal together by the end of this year. 

After one round of negotiations I see no need at this stage to need to extend the transition period.  

Newspaper column 19 March 2020 - Support against COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues to bring an unprecedented response in peace time from this Government. On Monday in a statement to the nation, the Prime Minister said that now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel.

Last week the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his Budget Statement. As well as the usual positive steps supporting our country including the continued freezing of Fuel and Alcohol rates, a raft of support for small businesses and another rise in the National Insurance Threshold, and the National Minimum Wage,  there was also a lot of additional measures to help us all deal with COVID-19.

The Government has created a new £5 billion Initial COVID-19 Response fund so the NHS can treat Coronavirus patients; councils can support vulnerable people and ensure funding is available for other public services.

The Budget also contained a range of measures to hep employers and employees, including changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rules, changes regarding fit notes and also changes to the ways in which the Universal Credit benefit is claimed.

The Government is also providing £500m more funding so Local Authorities can support economically vulnerable people and households during this time, as well as increasing the Business Rates retail discount to 100% for one year and expanding it to the leisure and hospitality sectors, and the introduction of a £5,000 rates discount for pubs.

The Government will provide an additional £2.2 billion funding for Local Authorities to support small businesses that pay little or no Business Rates because of Small Business Rate Relief. A new temporary Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, delivered by the British Business Bank, will also launch on 1 April to support businesses to access bank lending and overdrafts.

These are challenging times and we as a community will have to pull together to get through it. We need to all do our bit and make sure we look after elderly and vulnerable members of our community, ensuing those who are most at risk are shielded from this virus, while giving our NHS the very best opportunity to cope.

With this in mind I would also like to thank not only our amazing NHS staff who are working around the clock to deal with this crisis, but also those who work in care, and those who keep our services and essential shops running.

I will be regularly publishing updates on my website www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thisischerilyn/. Please email me at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk and call at 0207 2193713 and messages will be picked up.

Campaign response - Environment Bill

I am very passionate about the environment and it will be at the forefront of my role in Truro and Falmouth and in Westminster. I am very pleased with the Government’s environmental bill which is making its way through Parliament and has received cross party support. I believe it to be one of the most ambitious environmental programmes of any country in the world.

It will see us wasting less and recycling more, breathing cleaner air, planting trees, supporting nature recovery and safeguarding forests. This is a significant step as we aim to be net zero by 2050.

It is also worth noting of the success of the Government prior to the election when Michael Gove was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). In 2018 UK emissions were 44% below 1990 levels and policies had been implemented for the net zero target which are business friendly. This will allow us to conserve our environment whilst still allowing for the UK economy to grow and generate money for vital public services such as the NHS, education and police.

The new Secretary of State for DEFRA is our neighbouring constituency Camborne and Redruth’s MP George Eustice. I will be working closely with him in promoting the environmental interests of our constituency and Cornwall as a whole.

Furthermore, in the Conservative manifesto we said that we will set up new international partnerships to tackle deforestation and protect vital landscapes and wildlife corridors. As I was elected on this platform, I will ensure that these interests are stood up for in Parliament.

I also work on the All-Party Parliamentary (APPG) Group on Ocean Conservation. In the group we examine and review water quality, plastic pollution, global pollution and marine protected areas.

Currently I am sitting on the Environment Bill committee and have been taking evidence form many stakeholders including environmental groups and industry on all points.

Locally I want to help our constituency accelerate the process of de-carbonising by supporting innovative local and national projects including improving the network of cycle paths and cycle lanes, promoting jobs that allow working from home, encouraging electric vehicle use and lobbying for investment into housing developments that are more energy efficient and environmentally conscious.

By doing our part locally in Truro and Falmouth and with the new environmental bill going through Parliament currently there are many reasons to be optimistic.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Many constituents have recently written to me regarding their concerns about Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Let me assure you that the Government, the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Health Service are working around the clock to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

The Government and devolved administrations, including the health and social care system, have planned extensively over the years for an event like this. The UK is therefore well prepared to respond in a way that offers substantial protection to the public.

The Government is continuing to work closely with the World Health Organisation and international partners and remains prepared for all eventualities. The Government is following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and Public Health England.

In Parliament I am regularly discussing with ministers and other MPs on the situation in the UK and will continue to do so until the virus is eliminated.

Please keep yourself informed of important Government advice as the situation is changing all the time and the link below gives the latest information.

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

It provides details on what you need to know about the virus, how best to protect yourself and details about travel advice.

Newspaper column 5 March 2020 - Coronavirus update

This week I thought I would talk about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Government’s response to it.

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In many ways it is similar to the more common types of flu we see in this country every winter.

Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

It appears to be a strain of virus that spreads quickly and widely through direct contact. It has now spread globally and in terms of the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care is providing daily figures on how many people have been tested for it in the UK, along with the results.

Globally and at home, the number of cases continues to rise. As of 9am on Tuesday of this week there were 51 confirmed cases in the UK. It is becoming more likely that we will see widespread transmission here in this country.

As the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said in Parliament on Tuesday, the Government’s approach is to plan for the worst and work for the best.

The Government has a 4-part action plan to contain, delay, research and mitigate the virus.

The international data continue to indicate that for most people, this disease is mild and the vast majority recover in full.

Phase one of the plan is to contain. This is the phase we are currently in. Contain is about detecting the early cases, following up with close contacts, and preventing the disease from taking hold in this country for as long as is reasonably possible. This approach also buys time for our NHS to ramp up its preparations.

If the number of global cases continues to rise ‒ especially in Europe ‒ the scientific advice is that we may not be able to contain this virus indefinitely. At that point we will activate the delay phase of our plan. Delay is about slowing the spread, lowering the peak impact of the disease and pushing it away from the winter season.

The third part of the plan is research. Research is not just about developing a vaccine, which we are actively pursuing, but which will be many months away at the earliest, but also about understanding what actions will lessen the impact of coronavirus including what drugs and treatments – existing and new – will help those who are already sick.

The fourth phase is mitigate. The Government will move on to this phase if coronavirus becomes established in the UK population. At that point, it would be impossible to prevent widespread transmission, so the emphasis will be on caring for those who are most seriously ill and keeping essential services running at a time when large parts of the workforce may be off sick.

I will continue to work with colleagues in Parliament to ensure we are best prepared to tackle this virus, and continue to provide updates, via the online channels available to me, when they become available.