As of 5 January 2021, it is required that we follow national lockdown guidelines. This means that there are new restrictions for businesses.

To find out more about the implications of the national lockdown for your business, follow the link below where you will find details of businesses and venues that must close, as well as the businesses and aspects of business that are permitted to continue.

We are currently also awaiting government guidance on new government grant funding to support businesses. Please check the Harborough District Council COVID-19 Grants webpage for regular updates on funding as they are made available.

The Top Up Grant scheme is for businesses which have not been eligible for any previous grant schemes. This provides opportunities for businesses which have been significantly impacted due to the lockdown which took place in November 2020, to seek support, subject to certain criteria. 

To find out more about applying for the grant, please follow the link below, for (ARG) Top Up Grant Schemes - Round 1 details, which can be found under number 5. Additional Restrictions Grants on the linked webpage. From here, you will be able to register and apply for the Top Up Grant.

You can also find a number of other available grants via the link below. Please do check this page for regular updates on grants available. 

LLEP Business Gateway
The Growth Hub is a single place to access business support across Leicester and Leicestershire. Offering free and impartial advice to help all local businesses.

HMRC Helpline
Tax Helpline to support businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Skills Toolkit
Free Courses to help you learn skills or get a new job.

• Practical Maths
• Computer essentials
• Personal growth and wellbeing and more...

Job Centre Plus
Follow their dedicated social media feed for the area for jobs, events (including virtual job fairs) and essential careers advice! They are live on social Monday - Friday, 9 - 5pm.

Digital Growth Programme
Benefit from a range of fully-funded workshops, the opportunity to receive financial help and free one to one business advice to help introduce new digital technology with the support from the Digital Growth Programme.

As we enter a new national restriction, this brings about new challenges for local businesses.

If you are an individual or business owner who is facing redundancies or employment difficulties, we have a number or resources and support partners that may be able to help.

If you are in need of support, please do contact us in the first instance, via our email address: business@harborough.gov.uk, where we can offer you individual support.

You can also visit our website via the link below, for employment support information for both employers and individuals.

A deal has been reached with the EU, with regards to the UK exit. As a result, businesses must now take action to ensure operations run smoothly as new rules are introduced,

There are several ways you can make sure you are supported and are equipped for the new rules that will be introduced.

You can visit the EU Exit information webpage on the Invest in Harborough website for links to the Brexit Checker, to ensure that you have successfully covered all aspects of your business that will be affected by the changes.

As well as this, a range of resources, including 1-to-1 support sessions, live webinar events and more from the Leicestershire Business Gateway Growth Hub.

Doug Andrews of Market Harborough based business, Globe 2 Ltd - Integrated Business Solutions recently attended one of the free EU Transition Exit, one-to-one advice sessions, provided by the Growth Hub, with a specialist international trade advisor.
As a result, he received a customised EU Exit action plan, setting out the key issues for his business.
 
Doug said afterwards,

'The advisor was able to help me gain a better understanding of the implications of the EU Exit for my business, which allowed me to take the necessary actions so that I could continue to support my clients in Europe, whilst ensuring that we were complying with the new arrangements. I would strongly advise other businesses to take up this opportunity, or complete the Government's EU Transition checklist.'

Find out more about the support available via the Growth Hub here.

There are a number of tools that are available to help support your business

• Sign up here for business readiness bulletins to receive important updates for your business.
• If you move goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland, check the latest Northern Ireland Protocol guidance here.
• For guidance on Rules of Origin see here. 
• For details of the new  arrangements for hiring workers from the EU see here.
• For travelling to Europe check here and for passports here.
• For Data Protection and Data Flows check here

If you have successfully used the Brexit Checker to prepare for EU exit, we would love to hear from you.

If you would like to share your experience of navigating the EU exit process for businesses, please do email us at business@harborough.gov,uk