New COVID financial support announced

Following the impact on businesses in England of the current ‘Plan B’ covid measures and the impact of Omicron on trade in the hospitality sector in particular, the Government has announced a new support package.

The package comprises three elements:

• Dedicated support for the hospitality and leisure sectors in the form of one-off grants worth up to £6,000 per premises. There will also be more than £100 million in discretionary funding for local authorities to support other businesses.

• The reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) for employers with fewer than 250 employees. This will apply to up to two weeks’ COVID-related absence and is effective immediately, with employers able to make retrospective claims from mid-January.

• £30 million for cultural organisations through the Culture Recovery Fund.

There will also be £154 million in funding to the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to provide similar support.

The grants for the hospitality and leisure sectors will be administered by local authorities and the Treasury says they will be available “in the coming weeks”.

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