COVID-19 Updates

We’d like to reassure members that the rules around working have not changed, whichever Tier you find yourselves in.  You must continue to follow the correct procedures to ensure you, your staff and your customers are not put at unnecessary risk, using the correct PPE and taking all relevant precautions, and you should not enter a home where there is someone with Covid 19 or someone who is self isolating, but otherwise you may continue to carry out work.  The Tier 4 rules state:

Work and volunteering

You can leave home for work purposes, where your place of work remains open and where you cannot work from home (including if your job involves working in other people’s homes).

As with earlier periods of high restrictions it is up to each and every member to decide whether they wish to continue with domestic or commercial work, a decision that we’re sure will be based on personal circumstances as well as Government guidance, but there are no rules preventing you from working if you decide to do so.  You can find all relevant guidance at:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

and specific advice about working in other peoples homes at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes

We would like to take this opportunity to again wish all CAI members a Merry Christmas and a more straightforward 2021!

As with many organisations, we are working through the implications of the current pandemic, and also trying to think of ways we can help members. If there are any additional services or information you feel we could provide at this time, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As I’ll explain below, there could be times when it takes longer than usual to get through to us on the phone, but you can always use This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for queries or requests.

From many of your customer’s point of view, your services could be more important than ever before.  Access to TV, radio and broadband, for news and entertainment, has never been more important, especially to the vulnerable groups and older people who’ve already been told to stay at home for at least the next 12 weeks.  Hopefully, for those of you who undertake domestic work this will provide some additional business during the economic crisis that is accompanying the health one.  If ever there was a 4^th emergency service it is our members now, not the AA.  We’ve had several queries asking whether our members and their staff could be described as key workers.  We’ve had no official guidance on this yet, but have sought it.  In the meantime we feel a common sense approach is required.  From a schools perspective it’s unlikely that many of our members would be classed as telecommunications engineers and thus entitled to keep sending their children in.  However from the perspective of the potential of an increasingly strict lockdown, we feel that the job you’re undertaking is the decider of whether or not you can consider yourself, or your staff, as key workers undertaking essential travel.  If you’re restoring the PSB’s and access to news, information and entertainment to an old people’s home or a vulnerable customers house, I don’t think anyone would argue that it’s not an essential task, if you’re upgrading a customer’s home cinema system, then maybe not.  Fortunately we haven’t reached the stage when even those who can’t work from home are being told to stay in, but it could yet come.

We also completely recognise though, that this will be a tough time for many members, especially those with contracts in the leisure, hospitality and retail sectors, as well as those working on sites that will close down if there are large numbers of staff absent, or if the developers decide to delay projects due to the economic uncertainty.  There are no easy solutions to this, but we hope you’re investigating all the government support available and we’re also hoping there will be more announcements of help to come. 

We’re currently developing guidance regarding working in customers’ homes, and contacts with them. But in the meantime common sense and government advice applies – wash your hands or use hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol, whenever you arrive at and leave a customer, and any points in between you feel appropriate,  try to keep at least 2m away from them, wear gloves if you feel necessary, and wear a mask if you have any concerns about the customers health or that of their wider household.  Clearly your, and your staffs, health and safety is a matter for you alone, but it’s essential you’re all ensuring that everyone stays as safe as possible.

Lastly, for now, as you can imagine we’re having to make changes to the way we work at CAI. As far as we can we need to work from home, and are currently undertaking the steps required to enable this to happen.  However our telephone system is not adaptable in this way.  Consequently it’s likely that one of us will be in the office answering the phone every day.  This means that it may take longer to get through than usual, and as we are not all able to answer all queries we may have to take messages and get someone to call you back some of the time.  So please bear with us during this time.

As I said at the top, we’re keen to help in any way we can, so please get in touch if you have requests or ideas for ways we can do this. Lastly we wish you, your staff, families, suppliers and customers good health, and we hope that we all come out of this as quickly as possible.

At this unprecedented time, we are working hard to establish some official advice or guidelines regarding the work you do.  However, in the meantime, we’d like to try to help as best we can.

We’ve published a link to the Government help for businesses page on our website, so you can easily research the policies put in place to help you at this difficult time. 

In terms of safe working and the types of jobs you undertake, we’d recommend the following, in advance of any formal guidance:

• If you have any staff who can work from home, they should.
• High risk staff, customers and suppliers could include those with compromised immune systems, those with conditions such as diabetes, cancer, chronic lung and cardiovascular disease, older people and pregnant women. Special care should be exercised for these groups and contact avoided.
• Work should be restricted to external/outdoor as far as is possible.
• Ensure staff are aware of all control measures and government guidance re distancing.
• Ensure staff are equipped with the right additional PPE, including gloves, masks, hand sanitisers, anti-bac wipes and tissues/paper towels.
• Contact domestic customers before a staff member arrives and ask covid 19 at risk questions regarding recent travel abroad of any household member and whether anyone in the household has had contact with anyone who has had a confirmed case of coronavirus, has been advised to self-isolate, or is awaiting test results. If none of these apply then you can undertake a visit. Warn customers that engineers may be using additional PPE such as masks and gloves. If the customer has travelled abroad in the last 2 weeks, or answers yes to any questions explain that the engineer cannot visit for 14 days.
• Ensure staff maintain a distance of at least 2m from any members of the household.
• Ensure staff wash/sanitise their hands on arrival and departure, and use anti-bac wipes on equipment they have touched, including remote controls.

We still feel that work to provide customers with access to Public Service Broadcasters, news and entertainment is important and should be completed when possible, especially if the customer does not have access to these services via alternate sources. We also feel that some work is far from essential and you should consider whether to undertake it.

This is a fast moving situation, as you’re all aware, and we will try to keep you updated with our recommended best practice and guidelines as often as possible.   

As we have previously stated, the current pandemic situation remains a fast moving and complicated one.

Our previous advice has been based on several factors.  Domestically we knew that the Government didn’t want citizens to be without TV if possible.  They were especially aware that many of the highest risk group, who were told to stay at home for 12 weeks, were least able to cope without TV services for news updates and for entertainment, especially those living on their own.  We were also conscious that many of those people would refuse to live without their TV service for any length of time, and if CAI members were not working they could well end up being taken advantage of by less ethical and scrupulous parts of the trade, or other trades, receiving a poor service and probably paying too much for it. Lastly we were aware that the Government told Sky that as Telecommunications Field Engineers working in the broadcast industry their SHS field staff did qualify as Key Workers, so the same could apply to CAI Members.

From a commercial work perspective it’s also complicated, especially as the different nations of the UK aren’t necessarily following the same rules.  So far sites have not been forced to close, although in Scotland they have announced they will be. The government has again repeated this morning that in England work on construction sites, in the open air, should continue.  We know many of our members are self-employed, and feel they need to go to work to be able to afford to live. We, like them, really hope the Government announce further financial protection for them very soon, in order that staying at home becomes an affordable option.

The Government, while telling us all to stay at home, have still said that going to work is acceptable if it’s essential.  They have not clarified exactly what jobs are essential.  They are, and have been, 100% clear that whenever possible you should be at home.

We are urgently trying to get clarity from the Government this morning.  Whether they still believe that people should not be without a TV service, and therefore, with the correct precautions, members should still service those customers who are without reception,  and any further updates for sites and commercial work beyond what’s already been announced. Many others will also be looking for information – from mechanics who could be working on a NHS employee’s car, to builders, plumbers and electricians so we fear we will not get a very speedy response, but we will do everything we can to get some clarity as soon as possible.

Unfortunately it is therefore impossible to give any definite advice, except to stay at home while we try to obtain further information.  Even if you think you are carrying out an essential service, it doesn’t mean you should leave home without further guidance.  We know that although they believe they are classed as key workers, Sky field engineers are pausing all home visits this morning while they review the situation, and also talk to the Government particularly regarding vulnerable customers who lose all viewing service.  

We have obviously been forced to close the office.  Unfortunately our current telephone system is not sophisticated enough to forward to more than one number.  So please bear with us if you’re trying to get in touch.  Don’t forget you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and you can call Kevin Dawson on 07850 458077 with any technical questions you have. 

These are unprecedented times, we continue to try to serve our members to our fullest ability, but please bear in mind we can only pass on the information we obtain, we cannot legally set policy itself in these areas.  We sincerely hope you and yours stay safe and well.

As we have previously stated, the current pandemic situation remains a fast moving and complicated one.

Further to our update yesterday we wanted to let you know the current situation;

• It is up to each member company to decide whether or not they can safely carry out work, using the Public Health England guidance, and if they cannot they must stay at home.
• The Government has included the following types of worker as among the key worker list:

            Telecommunications Engineers, Field Engineers and Broadcasters.

• Sky are recommencing home visits today. The Government have confirmed that they class their field engineers and call centre staff as Key Workers. They are only carrying out work to keep people connected to TV or Broadband services, they are not carrying out non-essential work, such as Sky Q updates.
• We are in contact with DCMS to get some official guidance re TV services but haven’t received it yet, they have however issued guidance re Broadband services:

            For engineers who have been designated as key workers, they may go to   people’s homes but obviously there is no guarantee the residents will allow        them in. We would recommend that whatever workarounds you can agree           on an industry basis to avoid engineers having to enter people’s premises but             still maintain connectivity to them are used - even if it’s passing cable via a     window in some cases.

• DMSL/@800 Are also still visiting people in their homes, if they lose Public Service Broadcaster viewing, with DCMS support. They are limiting home visits to only those who have no other means of accessing PSB’s and only if they’ve lost viewing of one or more of those channels, not if they’ve lost viewing of other channels not seen as core. They are limiting their work to outdoors whenever possible and are following the steps we’ve previously issued around pre-visit contact, not carrying out the visit if anyone has symptoms or is self-isolating.  Their call centre staff and field engineers are still directing customers to getmeviewing.org.uk (CAI member listing website) if they do not qualify for help under clearance or 4G mitigation schemes, as always.  Their operations are under constant review, however.
• We’re aware that some distributors are closing their trade counters and moving to delivery only services, or closing altogether.
• We remain concerned that if all members cease all work, other, less skilled or less scrupulous companies will carry out the work, putting consumers – especially the vulnerable who most rely on TV for contact with the world – at increased risk.

It remains the case that the Government believe that citizens do need continued access to Broadband and TV services, for home working, home schooling and to receive news updates, as well as for entertainment at this difficult time. So, we feel we need to advise you to take a common sense approach to work:

• If the aerial/dish is the only means for that household (including in MDU’s) to receive PSB’s (i.e./ they do not have cable, satellite or the ability to stream news content) then it might be considered critical to restore their service.
• A broadband service is also critical if anyone is working or learning from home, or if it’s the households only way to receive PSB services.
• If you’re carrying out either of the above tasks, we would class you as key workers carrying out essential works.

If anyone is symptomatic of the virus in the household then obviously an engineer should stay clear.

If they are not symptomatic then an engineer might attend but observe strict social distancing (2m min) and strict hand hygiene (hand washing, disposable gloves, anti bac wipes for remotes etc, as previously advised) before and after the visit.

It's an individual choice for members to take a risk judgement on this.  They need to balance the risk to everyone and to be able to justify why they are not staying at home. No one should be forced to go to work if they don’t think it’s safe, or morally the right thing to do.

Regarding site work, it seems that the London Government is going to continue insisting that sites can remain open if they can be operated under PHE guidelines, the Scottish Government (and London Mayor, though he has no power over this) disagree and think they should be closed.  Many developers are closing sites.  As with domestic work, we believe this is a judgement call for every member involved, and members should only work on sites if they believe they can do so safely and are working outdoors.  We believe the chancellor should be announcing new measures for the self-employed today, which may well make this decision easier for you.

As we said yesterday, we have had to close the office and divert the phones to one mobile number.  Unfortunately, we have to rely on BT to divert the phones on our behalf.  They said yesterday morning it could take up to 24 hours, but at the time of writing it still hasn’t occurred.  We are chasing them obviously, but in the meantime don’t forget you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring Kevin with Technical queries on 07850 458077.

We continue to engage with all relevant authorities on your behalf, but hope this advice is useful.  We believe it’s unlikely that DCMS will issue guidance that is significantly different to the above – at least this morning – though things change very quickly of course.

Please stay well and safe, and do the right thing for yourselves, staff, suppliers and customers.

Now that we haven’t had any major changes to the restrictions on work, travel etc, we thought we should highlight the Governments help that may be available to your business, especially in light of the announcement regarding the self-employed yesterday:

• Self Employed Income Support Scheme. The Government will pay self-employed workers 80% of their average monthly income over the last 3 years up to a maximum of £2500.
• This will initially cover 3 months and is open to existing self-employed workers, who earn the majority of their income through self-employment with trading profits up to £50,000 per annum.
• The Government believe that the system will take until June to set up, when the qualifying workers will get 3 months payment in a lump sum.
• If you haven’t already filed a tax return for 2018/19 you now have 4 weeks from 26^th March to do so.
• In the meantime they state that businesses could be able to access funding through the Business Interruption Loan Scheme, or individuals could qualify for Universal Credit.
• People who pay themselves salary and dividend through their own company are not covered, although 80% of the salary element could be covered under the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme below, if you’re part of the PAYE system.

You can find the details announced so far at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-gives-support-to-millions-of-self-employed-individuals

There are also a range of measures designed to support businesses, although previously announced there has been an update to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme this morning, some or all of which you may be able to access:

• The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: HMRC will pay employers a grant worth 80% of an employee’s usual wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that subsidised wage.
• Income tax and VAT payment deferral: VAT Payments can be deferred for 3 months, for VAT due between 20/03/20 and 30/06/20. Self-assessment payments on account, due 31/07/20 can be deferred to 31/01/21
• If you currently receive Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rates Relief, you are entitled to a £10,000 grant from the Government. This will be paid by your local authority who collects Business Rates and you do not need to apply for it.
• Loans of up to £5 million will be made available in the Business Interruption Loan Scheme

You can find out more at:

www.businesssupport.gov.uk

TrustMark has released the following on behalf of the National Trading Standards and Friends Against Scams with regards to the coronavirus and how you can access support and safeguard yourself against scams.

As a reminder, we would like to reiterate the government and NHS guidelines about maintaining good hygiene; only go outside for food, health reasons or essential work, and stay two metres away from other people outside of your household.

This is particularly important for people who are over 70 and/or have an underlying health condition.  Things such as Facebook Community Groups, WhatsApp Groups and the Nextdoor social network that send neighbourhood alerts can be great ways of staying in touch with those around you, however, it can be difficult to know who to trust.  Please be aware that not everyone out there is trustworthy and some people will take advantage of this unusual situation our society is facing.

Here are just some of the scams we are aware of, but please note that criminals come in all shapes and sizes and can contact you at the door, by phone, post or online:

Be aware of people offering miracle cures or vaccines for coronavirus – there is no specific treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19). Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms until you recover.

Home cleaning services

People impersonating healthcare workers, claiming to be offering ‘home-testing’ for coronavirus – this is a scam and these kits are not currently available to buy.

Emails saying that you can get a refund on taxes, utilities or similar are usually bogus and they are just after your personal and bank details.

There are lots of fake products available to buy online that say they can protect you or cure coronavirus. These will not help and are designed to take your money.

There are new mobile phone applications that claim to give you updates on the virus but instead, they lock your phone and demand a ransom.

Your bank or the police will never ask for your bank details over the phone.

People offering to do your shopping or collecting medication and asking for money upfront and then disappearing.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

Be cautious and listen to your instincts. Don’t be afraid to hang up, bin it, delete it or shut the door.

Take your time; don’t be rushed.

If someone claims to represent a charity, ask them for ID. Be suspicious of requests for money up front. If someone attempts you into accepting a service they are unlikely to be genuine. Check with family and friends before accepting offers of helps if you are unsure.

If you are online, be aware of fake news and use trusted sources such as .gov.uk or NHS.uk websites. Make sure you type the addresses in and don’t click on links in emails.

Only purchase goods from legitimate retailers and take a moment to think before parting with money or personal information.

Know who you’re dealing with - if you need help, talk to someone you know or get in touch with your local Council on the numbers below.

Protect your financial information, especially from people you don’t know. Never give your bank card or PIN to a stranger.

Contact information:

If you think you’ve been scammed, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and if you need advice, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.  Contact your bank if you think you have been scammed.

To learn more about different types of scams and how to protect yourself and others, visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk and complete the free online training.

Why not become a Scam Marshal? A Scam Marshal is any resident in the UK who has been targeted by a scam and now wants to fight back and take a stand against scams. Scam Marshals do this by sharing their own experiences, helping others to report and recognise scams and sending any scam mail that they receive to the National Trading Standards Scams Team so that it can be utilised as evidence in future investigative and enforcement work. Visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk/ScamMarshals for more information and to sign up.

Read it. Share it. Prevent it.

We do not have enough work to keep all employees occupied – should we put the employees on short hours, make some redundancies or use the Coronavirus job retention scheme to furlough some?

This will depend on the specific business circumstances, but commercially the starting point is likely to be utilising the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in preference to either reducing hours or making employees redundant because this is the only option that currently secures financial support from the Government.  Therefore in many cases, furloughing some workers and retaining others on a full-time basis is the best commercial choice.  However, this may not be practical, for example where each employee has unique skills and taking any of them out of the workforce puts the business in a position where it is unable to operate.  In these circumstances, short term working may be the only option, but this will not secure Government financial support and you should ensure the employment contracts allow for this and you have employee agreement to reduce the risks of being taken to an employment tribunal.

How do I determine whether the business is entitled to be classed as “unable to pay” and therefore qualifies for the Government support under the Scheme?

The Government appear to have stopped using the phrase “businesses that are unable to pay” with the inference being that all businesses, etc. are able to claim in situations where the alternative is making employees redundant.  The Government have however provided details of the situations where they would not expect businesses to be taking advantage of the scheme.  Put simply, if there is not reduction in trading then a claim is inappropriate

As a general point, you should determine what you need to do as a business in order to survive during this period, separate to any consideration of the Scheme.  If staff lay-offs or redundancies are financially unavoidable, we would expect you to be covered given the aims of the Scheme.

Do I need to agree this with my employee(s) or can I simply tell them it is happening?

You are likely to be in breach of their employment contract if you simply impose this on them.  It needs to be agreed – and ideally signed – so you reduce the risks of a claim from the employee later.  Where you have multiple employees and only some are to be furloughed, you need to demonstrate that decisions have been taken on a fair, logical and non-discriminatory basis (see below).

The scheme is not up and running yet – what should I do in the meantime?

You should take the action that is necessary for your business, bearing in mind that the Job Retention scheme is available and can apply retroactively.  So, consult with your staff and seek the agreements you need to implement the layoffs, indicating where appropriate that you are seeking to ‘furlough’ them under the government scheme.  If you were considering full redundancies rather than layoffs, consider using the furlough option instead.

Can I pay some furloughed employees more favourably than others?

You should be consistent to ensure that you are not at risk of behaving in a discriminatory way.  If you plan to top up the earnings of some employees to 100%, then we recommend you do this evenly across your employees.  You are not required to top up to receive the grant.

Can I decide which employees are to be furloughed and which will continue working?

Yes; this will depend on the circumstances so can for example retain the staff whose roles or skills are  required for the remaining work while furloughing those whose jobs or skills are not needed due to the downturn in work.  If you need to furlough just a few out of a group that all do the same work, you should consult with the staff and approach it in a similar way to a redundancy decision.  You may find that they provide a solution e.g. because some may prefer to be furloughed because they will have difficulty working remotely, whereas others may wish to remain working.

The minimum period of furlough for an employee is 3 weeks.  Other than this you can bring people back from furlough or furlough more employees as work levels vary.  The same employee could be furloughed more than once providing each furlough period is at least 3 weeks long.

What can I do if I am in the process of making employees redundant – can I change my mind and opt for the job-retention scheme instead?

The job retention scheme is intended to cover the situation where an employee would lose their job because of the Coronavirus.  The purpose of the scheme is to ensure the business can resume activities immediately the issues are overcome.  We await the actual legislation, but it is not expected that the job retention scheme will be available in circumstances where the employee was going to be dismissed anyway and there is no intention to retain them in the business moving forwards.  However, if the intention is to retain the employee within the business once the crisis has been overcome then it is possible to switch to the job retention scheme.  This would also therefore include a situation in which you have already laid off – or are contemplating laying off – your employees providing they were employed on 28 February 2020.

Can directors be furloughed?

In theory directors can be furloughed in the same way as other employees.  However, a condition of furloughing is that the individual must not undertake work of any kind for the company during this time.  This is harder for a director to justify, particularly if they are the sole director.  It may be necessary for a sole director to notify all suppliers, customers and other business contacts that the business has been suspended pending the end of the Coronavirus crisis.  In many cases this is impractical and undesirable because the director may wish to use this time working on improving the business so that when trading recommences the business performs well quickly.  In these circumstances, furloughing is not permitted.  Remember also that this only relates to PAYE income, not dividends.

Should I continue to pay 100% of salary even though the Government are only subsidising 80%?

You need to consider the circumstances as well as the ability of the business to continue to pay the salary.  For example, if you have two employees and only furlough one, the remaining employee may be disgruntled if they are working full time for the same pay as the one having time off.  The situation may be different if all employees are being furloughed.

Is it possible to alternate the staff members furloughed so they do one month on and one month off?

This will not be permitted because the furloughed employee must not undertake any work in the business.  Therefore, an agreement signed at the start to say you will work this week, but not that week is ineffective.  It is possible to bring employees back from furlough as demand changes, but a pre-agreed rota is not within the scope of the scheme.

How is payment assessed for zero hours workers or those on variable hours contracts?

Their pay is to be based on the higher of the pay for the corresponding week or month last year, or their average earnings over a period.  The period of averaging is the average pay for the 2019-20 tax year, or the period of employment if the employment started later than April 2019.

When will the money arrive and how do I manage cash flow until then?

It appears that a new online portal will be set up to apply for relief.  Alternatively, some kind of ‘reverse payroll’, could be established.  HMRC are working on this, but early indications are that this will not be available until late April.  The claims will then need to be reviewed and approved before payments can be made.  It is therefore likely to be several weeks before the funds are provided. In the meantime, you could assess the potential of other government initiatives to ease your cashflow.

Can I start by paying full pay to furloughed workers and then reduce this later as funds decline?

The furlough must be agreed between employer and employee and must not be imposed.  This agreement will set out the terms and these must be satisfied.  If you agree a furlough based on full pay then you will need to revisit the agreement to vary the payment entitlement later.  Word your agreement carefully from the outset if you think this is going to be likely.  At the very least the variation would need to be agreed with the employee.

Are furloughed employees allowed to work for good causes while not working for me?

There appear to be no restrictions preventing furloughed employees from undertaking charitable work during this period unless you build such restrictions into the agreement.  For example, you will not want them putting themselves at risk.  You will however require them to be able to return to work immediately when you need them.

As always, all of us at CAI wish you, your families, staff and suppliers good health.  Stay safe and wash your hands.

As you may have heard, the Government has relaxed some of the rules around the already announced loan scheme to make it easier for small businesses to obtain loans.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme supports small and medium-sized businesses, with an annual turnover of up to £45m, to access loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million for up to six years.

The scheme will be delivered through commercial lenders, backed by the Government-owned British Business Bank. The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. The government will also make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payment and any lender-levied fees, so businesses will benefit from no upfront costs and lower initial repayments.

In response to feedback received since the schemes launch, the Chancellor is taking further action by extending the scheme so that all viable small businesses affected by Covid-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible. This change is designed to enable all long-term viable businesses experiencing difficulties as a result of the coronavirus outbreak to access finance.

There are 40 accredited lenders able to offer the scheme, including all the major banks.

We expect the scheme to run for an initial period of 6 months. There is no limit on the capacity of the scheme.

Your business must:

1. Be UK-based in its business activity

2. Have an annual turnover of no more than £45 million

3. Have a borrowing proposal which the lender:

a) would consider viable, were it not for the COVID-19 pandemic

b) believes will enable you to trade out of any short-term to medium-term difficulty

Personal guarantees are not required to secure lending below £250,000. For any borrowing above £250,000 personal guarantees will be capped at 20% of the outstanding value of the loan, as the Government is providing the guarantee for the remaining 80% of the finance. This will apply to all customers that have secured a loan under the scheme since its launch on 23rd March.

Please visit www.businesssupport.gov.uk for more details

We’re trying to answer some common questions regarding the various Government Business Support packages over the coming days, and will start with the Job Retention Scheme. 

Please beware of emails and messages pertaining to be from HMRC. Take extra caution at this time and do not click on links or share personal details. Please talk to HMRC if you want to confirm whether any correspondence is genuine.

Further to our previous advice regarding members carrying out essential work in customers households, if they’ve lost viewing of the PSB’s or lost internet service, the Ministry of Housing, communities and Local Government have stated:

Work carried out in people’s homes

Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms.

Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a two-metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety.

No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.

No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.

We continue to believe that some domestic work could be considered critical, but also that the decision whether to undertake such work is up to each and every member and their own circumstances, we don’t believe there is a blanket right or wrong answer to such a complex situation, unless of course the Government’s advice or instructions change again.  We also believe that no one should be forced to work in the current situation.  If you, or your staff, do continue to work in the domestic environment, then the advice of Public Health England, Hand Washing rules and taking the correct PPE precautions remain vital.

The position for our members who work in the commercial sector remains complicated too, but the Government Advice on outdoor sites remains the same – they can stay open as long as you can maintain the 2m distancing rule.  Again we believe it’s up to every member to decide whether it is safe to undertake each and every job, and to carry out a risk assessment to be confident that it is, or whether to be undertaking work at all. Again, there is not one universal rule that meets all circumstances.  We do also continue to have full confidence in our members ability to make the right judgements at the right time.