Support and information can be found on the links below:

• Claim a grant through the Self-employment Income Support Scheme - through HMRC
• Self-employment and Universal Credit
• If you cannot pay your tax bill on time
• Carry out work in people’s homes safely (tradespeople)
• Drivers’ hours rules relaxations
• Negotiate a mortgage payment holiday
• Food Businesses - see lower down the page.

Click on the links below for detailed guidance on the UK Government website:

• Employer guidelines
• Business sector specific guidance on social distancing in the workplace

Details on changes to job centre appointments and information for those already claiming support on the UK Government website:

Support for employees, benefit claimants and businesses

Visit Herts has a regularly updated section with information focused on businesses in tourism and hospitality - click the link below to go to their information hub.

Support for tourism and hospitality businesses

Food businesses are facing many challenges at this time and we wish to support you with as much guidance as we can.

The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE) are leading the UK government response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

• You can get up to date information and guidance for the public on the risk from Coronavirus on the government’s website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
   
• If you employ people, the guidance for employers and business will help you and your workers prevent the spread of COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19
   
• Guidance for food businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-food-businesses/guidance-for-food-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19#maintaining-social-distancing-in-specific-food-business-settings

Closure of Food Businesses:

You will be aware the closure of certain food businesses and other businesses is now in place. 

The government has strongly advised the public to only make essential visits outside of the home.

Takeaway / Delivery Service:

If you are thinking of offering an alternative food service to customers, you may only offer a delivery or takeaway service. Information on planning requirements such as change of use can be found on St Albans City and District Council website: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/changes-response-covid-19

New Food Delivery and Takeaway COVID-19 Guidance: has been produced by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health:  https://www.cieh.org/media/4070/covid-19-food-delivery-and-takeaway-guidance.pdf

Takeaways and restaurants offering a pick-up service:

For these services:

• businesses should take orders online or by telephone rather than being taken in person on the premises - this should be communicated to customers by appropriate means such as signage
• payment can also be made via telephone or using online platforms
• customers can have staggered collection times - customers should be discouraged from entering the premises until their order is ready
• customers arriving without having already placed an order should be encouraged to leave the premises to place their order by telephone or online, and to return at a designated time for collection
• customers whose orders are ready should enter one at a time to collect orders and make payments by debit/credit card; avoid handling cash
• businesses should discourage crowding outside the premises; where possible, use queue management systems to maintain the 2 metres separation; do not allow customers to eat food inside or outside your premise. 

You must revise your food safety management system to have safe procedures in place for this activity. 

Delivery Vehicles and Drivers:

Take payment in advance over the telephone or online.

It is necessary that the driver employed is insured for business purposes and has a vehicle or motorbike that is fully taxed and MOT certified. If deliveries are done by bicycle, it must be roadworthy and the appropriate helmet and high visibility clothing provided and worn by the rider. If using an external provider, make sure they too are reputable.

• Sale of hot food and hot drink is not licensable except between 11pm and 5am.
• All foods for customer take-away and/or delivery must be stored in suitable food grade containers, e.g. polystyrene, foil and plastic with lids
• These containers must be clean and stored hygienically
• It is not good practice to allow a food handler to touch the inner surface of the food container before any food is added
• For hot food deliveries, use an insulated bag to help retain heat
• For cold food deliveries use a cool box or bag with ice blocks or packs
• If using a storage box fixed to the back of a motorbike, the inside surface still needs to be kept clean and not come into direct contact with the outer surfaces of the food delivery containers e.g. place the containers into a paper or plastic food bag first
• To ensure safety, remove the food delivery and leave on the door step of the customer
• Ensure delivery personnel have both anti-bacterial spray and gel with them on all deliveries
• Limit the radius of delivery to 2-3 miles maximum so that foods can be delivered from final point of cooking and packing to final point of destination for consumption so that foods are still hot for the consumer to eat.

The food business operator must:

At the premise:

• Ensure food handlers are trained in food hygiene
• On arrival at the premise, wash hands in a separate hand wash basin with running hot and cold water, liquid anti-bactericidal soap; dry hands with disposable paper towels; and turn off taps with disposable paper towels
• Change into clean laundered overclothing every time on entering the premise
• Ensure handwashing every time staff enter the kitchen and throughout food handling and preparation activities
• Everyone to maintain a 2 metre separation distance
• Ensure all raw and ready to eat foods are kept separate during storage, preparation, service and delivery
• Use separate equipment, overclothing and utensils for raw and ready to eat foods
• Clean and disinfect food preparation surfaces with a disinfectant or sanitiser compliant with British Standard BS-EN 1276 or 13967; use disposable single use cloths and also pay close attention to all hand touch points including taps, fridge handles, till points, credit/debit card readers, telephones, door handles, etc.  Clean and disinfect throughout the day
• Cleaning in non-healthcare settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings
• Keep high risk foods chilled below 8OC in a fridge, suitably covered and monitor the temperature throughout the trading day
• Cook foods to 75OC or above
• Hot held foods must be kept above 63OC

Temperature control is critical to prevent the growth of food poisoning bacteria in food.  Monitoring is needed throughout the day using e.g. a digital probe thermometer.  All monitoring checks should be recorded and records kept available for inspection.

Food Allergens:

All food handlers and service staff need to know how to deal with allergen enquiries from customers.

If someone asks if a menu item contains a certain food / allergen, check all the ingredients (and what they contain), as well as what you use to prepare or cook the item.  Always read labels and other information.  Never guess.

If you are unsure what allergens the dish contains, tell the customer you cannot take their order.  Refer to the Food Standards Agency for more information www.food.gov.uk/allergy

Illness:

Food handlers, service staff and delivery personnel must not work if they have any symptoms of illness that will compromise food safety or cause the spread of infection.

If someone becomes unwell in the workplace with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, they should be sent home and advised to follow current NHS advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Remind employees to wash their hands for 20 seconds more frequently and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues which should be binned.

Health & Safety:

The health, safety and welfare of you, your staff and visitors is paramount at this very difficult time, like the provision of access to welfare facilities, maintaining a safe distance of 2 metres, hand washing measures and the provision of personal protective equipment where it is needed.

You will need to consider all aspects as part of your business risk assessment and take steps to ensure your workplace is a safe environment at which to work.

For general advice please refer to Health and Safety Executive www.hse.gov.uk

For further guidance, contact St Albans City & District Council, Environmental Health:

Contact us

A new loan scheme - the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan - has been launched to help small and medium-sized businesses affected by coronavirus.

Coronavirus bounce back loans

An explanation of how holiday entitlement and pay operate during the coronavirus pandemic, where it differs from the standard holiday entitlement and pay guidance. This guidance applies to those that have continued to work as well as those that have been furloughed.  

Holiday entitlement and pay information

Guidance for people people who work in or run shops, branches, stores or similar environments.

A range of information and links with support and advice for businesses

Herts Industrial Strategy, business support and other information can be found here.

Information about The Herts Growth Hub and support for businesses can be found here. See their events listing page here.

The Herts Growth Hub's COVID-19 (Coronavirus) business resource webpage can be found here.

The STANTA Start Up resource centre has a wide range of information on the legal and practical things you need when starting up a business.

Find out more about STANTA here.

Hertfordshire Business School is one of the largest business schools in the UK. Find out how they can assist your business here.

A wide range of information and resources to help you start and grow your business.

Find out more about WENTA here.

Supporting start-ups and small businesses, identifying opportunities for growth and taking businesses to the next level. Find out more here.

For information for businesses, click here.

For information about courses for adults, click here.

Read about the FSB here.

Further information on all types of rate relief can be found here.

The Council uses the Supply Hertfordshire procurement portal for all tender opportunities. Find out more and apply here.

Learn how to protect your business here.

'Business in the Community' has distilled some of the Government's COVID19 support packages for small businesses into a checklist with tips on what's available and how to access them.

If your business can offer support to save and change lives during the COVID19 pandemic, visit the 'Business in the Community' National Business Response Network platform.   If you can offer professional support, lend/donate resources or logistics then here's your way to help the coronavirus response.

'Business in the Community' is offering support for SMEs needing help with business continuity or employee wellbeing; and community groups needing help with food, technology or social care due to coronavirus.    

St Albans City of Expertise. Advice and information from professional service experts: legal, chartered engineering, chartered accountants, financial expertise/banking, planning and surveying. Find out more here.

Read about the St Albans District Chamber of Commerce here.

Members only workspace and coworking community for businesses and individuals.

Read about the Harpenden Collective here. 

Find out how the Businesses Community website can help you here.

Guidance and advice on food law can be found here.

Find information about the Gambling Commission Regulator here.

For information about the national regulator for health and safety matters, click here. 

The Trading Standards pages have information for businesses.

For more information about local trusted traders, click here.

Aims to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, support growth and help regulators to better understand the challenges businesses face. Contact bbfa@hertfordshire.gov.uk or find out more here.

Strategy to reduce emissions from road vehicles and move towards zero emissions.

Read the strategy here.

Advice to help you navigate the risks and opportunities of climate change.

Read about The Carbon Trust here.

Offers small and medium-sized businesses in Hertfordshire grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 to cover up to a third of the cost of making energy improvements eg. LED lighting, heating, insulation, electric vehicles and more. The programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Find out more information here.

Leading the development of 3 million sq ft of new commercial space. Read more here.

St Albans City and District Council operates a sponsorship scheme for a select number of roundabouts, city entrance signs and flowerbeds throughout the district. The traffic flow rate at these sites is considerably high, making them strategic points for advertisement. Sponsorship enables organisations to promote their company via advertisement signs at these locations. Prices vary between £500 and £5000 per annum and the income generated helps maintain the district’s roundabouts and flowerbeds to a high standard.

Please see below for the locations at which sponsorship opportunities are available*:

*If the site at which you wish to advertise is currently already sponsored, please contact the Parks and Green Spaces Team to be added to a waiting list. Sponsorship contracts are reviewed annually in April.

St Albans District Council holds three major community events each year:

• The Alban Street Festival (Sunday 21 June 2020)
• St Albans Feastival (Sunday 27 September 2020)
• St Albans Christmas Cracker (Sunday 15 November 2020)

Attendance at our events continues to be strong, with each one attracting in excess of 16,000 visitors.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities at our community events, please contact events@stalbans.gov.uk.