The Welsh Government has launched the Town Centre Entrepreneurship Fund as a pilot programme to provide financial assistance for entrepreneurs and businesses who are looking to start and grow a business in one of four town centres across North Wales – Bangor, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and Wrexham. This fund will be available as a discretionary grant of between £2,500 – £10,000 per business to support with the revenue costs associated with starting up in or relocating to a town centre. In order to access the fund, you must submit an Expression of Interest form (available to download below) and register with Business Wales. You will then be assigned a dedicated Business Adviser […]
Guidance for holding weddings and civil partnerships: receptions and celebration events in Wales has been updated following the change announced to the number of people who can attend a wedding or civil partnership reception or wake, can be determined by the size of the venue and a risk assessment. https://gov.wales/guidance-weddings-and-civil-partnerships-receptions-and-celebration-events
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) funding will reduce to 70% of employees’ usual wages for the hours not worked, up to £2,187.50 during July 2021 (currently 80% / £2,500). In August and September, this will reduce to 60% of employees’ usual wages up to a cap of £1,875. For more information, go to: https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blogs/news/changes-cjrs-july-2021
The Home Office has updated the Right to Work Guidance for employers which relates to the need for employers to check the status of non-uk nationals to make sure that they are legally able to work in the UK. As a result of the government’s announcement on 14 June 2021 to extend the date for the easing of lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures, the temporary COVID-19 adjusted right to work checks will now end on 31 August 2021. From 1 September 2021, employers will revert to face-to-face and physical document checks as set out in legislation and guidance. This will ensure employers have sufficient notice to put measures in […]
Councils across Wales are launching Consultations into increasing Council Tax rates for second homes/holiday lets, for example: Pembrokeshire: https://bit.ly/2SH7AoF Anglesey: https://bit.ly/2TGPAuT
The Welsh Government introduced new smoking legislation in Wales on 1 March 2021. For the tourism industry, the new laws mean that the current exemption to the smoking ban which enables smoking to take place in self-contained holiday and temporary accommodation as well as in designated smoking bedrooms in hotels, guesthouses etc. will end on 1 March 2022. The measures, designed to denormalise smoking and protect more people from the dangers of second-hand smoke, mean that from 1 March 2022, it will be against the law to smoke in these areas and fines could be issued. All types of self-contained accommodation will be covered by the new smoke-free requirements such […]
First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce a 4-week pause to the coronavirus rules on Friday (June 18) to help boost protection against the new delta variant. The Welsh Government reviewed the public health situation this week, mid-way through the current three-week regulations cycle, after announcing a phased move into alert level one. The rules around larger outdoor activities and events were relaxed on June 7. While WG will not be making any substantive changes to the rules, they are making some minor and technical amendments to the coronavirus regulations to make them easier to understand and easier to apply for businesses.WG will amend the regulations so from Monday 21 June: […]
The Tourism Sector Skills Toolkit consists of a set of resources with guidance notes on how they can be used by educational establishments, training providers, employers, government departments, and individuals to enable them to review the green, social and digital requirements within the hospitality and tourism sector and to use the toolkit to support them in developing and/or updating their resources. The Tourism Sector Skills Toolkit can be used to: Map against existing training and qualifications, job profiles, training needs analysis, job descriptions, responsibilities, tasks, etc. for the stakeholder to identify skills, knowledge, and behaviors already present and identify gaps.Inform and support the development of curriculum and training programmes within […]
A new fund supporting the events industry recovery will provide financial support to not-for-profit organisations hosting domestic business events from 21 June to 17 December 2021. The new Domestic Support Fund is designed to offer financial support to kick start the return of business events and to showcase that the UK is ready to meet again and has adapted to new ways of meeting in a COVID-19 secure environment. https://www.visitbritain.org/domestic-support-fund
Superfast Business Wales’ free two-part webinar tailored for Welsh food and drink producers. Learn how to use digital marketing to reach customers and get cash in the bank, as well as online tools to help you better manage your business, stock and customers – such as CRM and booking systems, accounting and more https://businesswales.gov.wales/superfastbusinesswales/events/food-and-drink-producers-webinars-may-aug-2021