Edinburgh businesses could receive up to £20,000 to introduce energy-saving measures.
Zero Waste Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Business Support Service offers free and impartial advice to small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs) to help them cut their energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions.
The service also provides access to the Scottish Government’s SME Loan Scheme, which is now available interest-free with up to 75 per cent cashback thanks to an injection of £4m. The loan is administered by Energy Saving Trust.
Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “It is vital, particularly at the present time, for businesses to make the most of every penny they spend. Cutting down on energy use could make a positive difference to many organisations’ bottom line and it will also help in reducing their carbon footprint.
“The amount of funding is limited, so I would urge eligible businesses to get in touch and see what we could do for them.”
The SME Loan can be used for the installation of renewable heating systems, such as solar, heat pumps and biomass, and many energy efficiency measures, including heating, ventilation, air conditioning and building fabric.
SMEs are able to apply for an interest-free loan and receive a 75 per cent cashback grant of up to £10,000 towards the cost of a renewable heating system. They can also receive a further 30 per cent cashback grant, also up to £10,000, for other energy efficiency improvements.
ECG Joinery in Edinburgh received advice from Zero Waste Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Business Support Service helping the business to make improvements to its heating and lighting to cut its annual energy costs.
Director Lorraine Graham said: “I would definitely recommend Zero Waste Scotland – they have been absolutely fabulous with everything they’ve helped with. And I have advised other companies of the support that’s on offer.”
Businesses should contact the Energy Efficiency Business Support Service for a free energy assessment and advice about applying for a loan.
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has outlined details of a £40 million fund to help businesses affected by temporary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will provide one-off grants of up to £3,000, depending on rateable value, to bars, restaurants and other businesses required to close by regulations.
A hardship fund with grants of up to £1,500 will support some businesses that remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, including those in the direct supply chains of firms that must close from tonight.
In addition, up to £9 million of funding will help with the costs of re-furloughing staff by supporting the 20% salary contribution required by the UK Government.
A discretionary fund of up to £11 million will help businesses that need support but don’t fall into the above categories. This will, for example, support soft play centres that have been unable to re-open this month.
The plan has been developed following discussions with business groups, trades unions and local authorities.
Ms Hyslop said: “The temporary restrictions announced by the First Minister are absolutely essential if we are to prevent a return to the dangerous level of infections that we experienced earlier this year.
“It is a difficult balance and we do not underestimate the challenge that these new measures present for businesses – particularly those in the hospitality sector.
“We have developed a funding plan which will help to protect jobs over the coming fortnight and I encourage business owners to apply for support.
“We are also committed to helping businesses meet their contribution to furlough costs, where staff have to be re-furloughed. We have increased the size of the grant available and are urgently identifying a mechanism to deliver additional support on top of that.
“While I welcome the UK Government’s plans to adapt the job retention scheme and the associated consequential funding, we still require clarity on what the Chancellor’s announcement will mean for Scotland.
“This situation further underlines the need for us to have the financial flexibility which would help us to rebuild our economy.”
Grants will be distributed by local authorities. Up to £2,000 will be payable to businesses with a rateable value of up to £51,000 that are required to close by law, for those with a rateable value of £51,001 or above the grant will be £3,000.
Ms Hislop’s announcement followed the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement:
Job Support Scheme expanded to firms required to close due to Covid Restrictions
The UK government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to protect jobs and support businesses required to close their doors as a result of coronavirus restrictions, the Chancellor announced today (Friday 9 October).
Job Support Scheme will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions
government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months
cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns also increased to up to £3,000 per month
Under the expansion, firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work – protecting jobs and enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are lifted.
The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Throughout the crisis the driving force of our economic policy has not changed.
“I have always said that we will do whatever is necessary to protect jobs and livelihoods as the situation evolves.
“The expansion of the Job Support Scheme will provide a safety net for businesses across the UK who are required to temporarily close their doors, giving them the right support at the right time.”
Under the scheme, employers will not be required to contribute towards wages and only asked to cover NICS and pension contributions, a very small proportion of overall employment costs. It is estimated that around half of potential claims are likely not to incur employer NICs or auto-enrolment pension contributions and so face no employer contribution.
Businesses will only be eligible to claim the grant while they are subject to restrictions and employees must be off work for a minimum of seven consecutive days.
The scheme will begin on 1 November and will be available for six months, with a review point in January. In line with the rest of the JSS, payments to businesses will be made in arrears, via a HMRC claims service that will be available from early December. Employees of firms that have been legally closed in the period before 1 November are eligible for the CJRS.
The scheme is UK wide and the UK Government will work with the devolved administrations to ensure the scheme operates effectively across all four nations.
This comes alongside intensive engagement with local leaders today on potential measures are coming in their areas.
In addition to expansion of the JSS, the government is increasing the cash grants to businesses in England shut in local lockdowns to support with fixed costs. These grants will be linked to rateable values, with up to £3,000 per month payable every two weeks, compared to the up to £1,500 every three weeks which was available previously. This could benefit hundreds of thousands of businesses, including restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, bowling alleys and many more.
The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from a £1.3 billion increase to their guaranteed funding for 2020-21 – allowing them to continue their response to Covid-19 including through similar measures if they wish.
These measures will sit alongside the original JSS – which is designed to support businesses that are facing low demand over the winter months – and the £1,000 Job Retention Bonus (JRB) which encourages employers to keep staff on payroll.
They build on the UK government’s wider package of unprecedented measures to help protect, create and support jobs through the pandemic, to ensure that nobody is left without hope or opportunity.
Welcoming the move, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The extension of the Chancellor’s Job Support Scheme is welcome news for businesses across Scotland, providing a vital safety net for companies which are asked to close temporarily.
“From the very start of the pandemic, the UK Government has focussed on stopping the spread of coronavirus and keeping people safe, while also doing everything we can to protect the economy.
“The unprecedented package of measures we have put in place to support all parts of the country shows the clear benefits for Scotland being part of a strong United Kingdom.”
Walk the Walk’s supporters have continued to fundraise through the 2.6 challenge and its own virtual MoonWalk Celebration Road Trip
Grant-making charity Walk the Walk is stepping in with emergency grants to support frontline cancer charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity’s Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough is so concerned about the effect on the lives of cancer patients during the past three months, she felt Walk the Walk really had to do something to try and help.
Walk the Walk’s own fundraising has been massively affected by the pandemic, with the postponement of its events, including The MoonWalk Scotland and The MoonWalk London, where millions of pounds would normally be raised in one night. However Walk the Walk’s supporters have continued to fundraise through the 2.6 challenge and its own virtual “MoonWalk Celebration Road Trip”, raising almost £100,000.
Nina and the charity are very excited to announce they will be making ‘Emergency Grants’ to the value of £20,000 each month to frontline cancer charities, until the end of the year.
The grants will only be made to organisations which are involved in delivering services and support directly to cancer patients. Even a few thousand pounds could make a huge difference in keeping services running at this time.
The effects of the pandemic have been enormous for those diagnosed with cancer. Cancer surgery has fallen to around 60 % of expected levels and 6,000 fewer cancer patients than expected are receiving chemotherapy*. Many people are also being forced to go through treatment on their own. Loneliness is one of the key issues for which frontline cancer charities provide support.
Local cancer services and helplines are being overwhelmed and many having little or no funding coming in, due to their normal sources of fundraising having stopped.
Nina Barough CBE, Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive said; “After working passionately for the last 23 years to raise money to improve the lives of those living with cancer and for research into breast cancer, it is distressing to see the situation that many cancer patients have found themselves in.
“I really felt that we should do something no matter what and came up with the idea of providing emergency grants. The main aim of these grants is to give charities funding to get them through the next few months, and hopefully allow them some breathing space, so that they can support those who really need it”.
Around £220 million of further grants are being made available for businesses – including the recently self-employed – to help them deal with the ongoing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The new package of measures includes £120 million to extend the Small Business Grant scheme to ensure that, in addition to a 100% grant on the first property, small business rate payers will be eligible to a 75% grant on all subsequent properties.
A further £100 million fund is also being made available to protect self-employed people and viable micro and SME businesses in distress due to COVID. This fund will be channelled through local authorities and enterprise agencies to target newly self-employed people and businesses who are ineligible for other Scottish Government or UK Government schemes.
Applications for the £100 million fund will be open by the end of the month, and the new arrangements for the Small Business Grant will be in place to receive applications on 5 May.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “The Scottish Government’s primary concern remains protecting people’s health, but it is still the case that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is having severe economic consequences for businesses around the country.
“We are doing everything we can to support business at this difficult time and we continue to listen to and engage with the sector.
“Our support for business now exceeds the £2.2 billion passed on from the UK Government and actively works to fill the gaps in the UK schemes.
“Around 100,000 businesses in total are already eligible for our small business grants and from today we will be extending that scheme in response to feedback from businesses on the frontline of this economic crisis.
“The creation of a £100 million fund is to help those micro and SME businesses who face immediate cash flow challenges, are ineligible for other schemes and are the productive base for supporting employment in the future. It will also support those newly self-employed people who are also ineligible for UK schemes and will be a vital lifeline for many businesses and individuals across Scotland.
“With UK Government support not being available until June, we are going further to secure the future economic viability of Scottish firms and applications will be open by the end of the month.
“While many businesses are in difficulty, some are doing better than others or can pull through from their own resources.
“Just as we ask the public only to buy what they need in the supermarkets, we are asking businesses who do not need this vital help to refrain from claiming additional support unless absolutely necessary so we can direct as much help as possible to those who need it most.”
A new benefit to support young people starting a new job after a period of unemployment will be introduced next Spring. The Job Start Payment is a new payment to help young people with the cost of starting a new job.Continue reading Young workers to benefit from Job Start Payment
Holyrood’s Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee is looking for a wide range of views from businesses that have received ‘Regional Selective Assistance’ (RSA) or other financial support from Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands Enterprise over the past ten years.
RSA is Scotland’s main national scheme of financial assistance to industry and has existed since 1970. It is managed and delivered by Scottish Enterprise and offers discretionary grants with the aim of creating and safeguarding jobs.
The Committee is also looking to hear from businesses who have been unsuccessful in their application to RSA or have received financial assistance from another body.
Committee Convener, Gordon Lindhurst MSP (above) said: “Over the last ten years over 960 projects have received £337 million of RSA investment. This has represented a significant attempt to address regional disparities across Scotland.
“The Committee wants to gain an understanding of impact these grants have had and whether grant support could be improved, and I urge businesses who have engaged with this scheme to tell us about their experiences.”
The outcome from this exercise is expected to feed into the upcoming Scottish Government budget plans and policy development.
The key areas that the Committee hopes to find answers to are:
Does RSA, and other grants, represent good value for money?
Could the £18 million to £34 million spent each year on RSA be better used supporting Scotland’s businesses in other ways?
To what extent does Regional Selective Assistance support the Scottish Government’s economic goals, as set out in its Economic Strategy and National Performance Framework?
How do RSA, and other grants, contribute to “inclusive economic growth”?
How do the enterprise agencies measure the impact of RSA? Views on how RSA and other financial support packages are evaluated by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
How well do RSA and other grants interact with other SE and HIE interventions?
Views on the eligibility criteria, application and approval process;
Should RSA change, and if so, how?
What due diligence and accountability processes are followed by the enterprise agencies?
What progress has been made towards introducing more conditionality? Whether more conditionality should be applied to RSA funding in addition to that announced over the past year.
How successful is the claw-back process when investments fail?
Businesses are encouraged to complete a short questionnaire which aims to capture the experiences and views of successful, and unsuccessful, recipients of RSA and other grants. The questionnaire can be found here
Alternatively, you can respond to the call for views which can be found here
The deadline for submitting views is Friday 16th August 2019.
Action Earth campaign launched at North Edinburgh Arts
The Action Earth campaign, run by national charity Volunteering Matters, launched its 2019 grant giving scheme yesterday with the creation of a new biodiversity pond in North Edinburgh. The campaign, which is funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, offers easy to access grants of up to £250 for environmental activities across Scotland.Continue reading Call for communities to apply for Environmental Grants
