The Winter Economic Plan announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday may help stave off mass unemployment, but it failed to target support to those sectors that need it most, according to the West of England’s largest business organisation. Business West, which runs Bath Chamber of Commerce, along with other business groups, had urged Mr...
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled his Winter Economy Plan to help businesses and their employees as Covid-19 continues to have a devastating impact. The key points are: A Jobs Support Scheme for employees will replace the furlough scheme, which effectively paid people not to work. Under this new scheme, businesses will pay employees for...
The window for claiming the second grant under the self-employed income support scheme opened on August 17 and closes on October 19. Traders do not have to have claimed the first grant in order to qualify for the second, but their business must have been adversely affected by Covid-19 on or after July 14 to qualify. Scheme outline ...
Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce, today called for a comprehensive support package for firms hit by the latest coronavirus measures. With the number of cases of Covid-19 rising again – promoting a new raft of restrictions on businesses – Business West urged the government to take action to protect jobs...
Food and drink producers from Bath and its surroundings will have an opportunity to meet commercial trade officers working across the world tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, at the first-ever virtual Meet the Market Expert event. It is being organised by the Department for International Trade (DIT) in conjunction with the Great British Food Programme...
Huge changes in the way people work have occurred since the coronavirus pandemic first hit – yet many businesses are struggling to cope with this ‘new normal’ and the legal implications remain unclear, a webinar on the workforce of the future staged by law firm Royds Withy King heard. The Bath-headquartered firm’s employment partner...
Bath’s economy will shrink by 10.6% this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but should recover strongly next year, according to a new forecast. According to global accountancy group KPMG, the decline in the city’s gross value added (GVA) means it will be hit harder than for the UK as whole, at...
Quartet, the community foundation covering Bath and the West of England, has appointed its philanthropy director Ronnie Brown as interim CEO following the departure of Sue Turner. Sue, pictured, who has led the organisation for more than five years – a period in which she helped more than double its endowment to £50m – has...
The Advanced Engineering Business Acceleration Hub has appointed Sean Devane as entrepreneur-in-residence based at Bath’s world-leading SETsquared business incubator. The role was previously held by Brian Prescott, who earlier this year took over as centre director at the University of Bath’s SETsquared Innovation Centre. The Advanced Engineering Business Acceleration Hub (AEBAH) is a three-year...
A support programme to assist Bath area firms in responding to mental health concerns in the workplace, particularly those arising from Covid-19, has been launched. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is investing in the two-year Thrive at Work West of England programme, which aims to address key mental health issues affecting businesses’...
