Coronavirus Updates for Businesses

Exeter City Council have published their Building Back Exeter Better recovery plan for the city.

The plan takes a placed-based approach and has been developed in collaboration with a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders. It seeks to secure the city’s recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has identified a range of projects that would require major investment from a variety of sources. Click on the image below to read the document.

If you are a business or organisation which has been advised to collect customer, staff and visitor details, a customer logging toolkit is now available to download here.

The mia have published guidance for the reopening of conferencing venues. Read their Roadmap to Reopening and Operating Safely here.

HM Treasury have published the Plan for Jobs. 

The policy measures most relevant to the tourism and hospitality sector are as follows:

2.30 Eat Out to Help Out
In order to support around 130,000 businesses and to help protect the jobs of their 1.8 million employees,4 the government will introduce the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to encourage people to return to eating out. This will entitle every diner to a 50% discount of up to £10 per head on their meal, at any participating restaurant, café, pub or other eligible food service establishment. The discount can be used unlimited times and will be valid Monday to Wednesday on any eat-in meal (including on non-alcoholic drinks) for the entire month of August 2020 across the UK. Participating establishments will be fully reimbursed for the 50% discount.

2.31 Temporary VAT cut for food and non-alcoholic drinks
From 15 July 2020 to 12 January 2021, to support businesses and jobs in the hospitality sector, the reduced (5%) rate of VAT will apply to supplies of food and non-alcoholic drinks from restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés and similar premises across the UK. Further guidance on the scope of this relief will be published by HMRC in the coming days.

2.32 Temporary VAT cut for accommodation and attractions
From 5 July 2020 to 12 January 2021, to support businesses and jobs, the reduced (5%) rate of VAT will apply to supplies of accommodation and admission to attractions across the UK. 

The Devon & Cornwall Local Resilience Forum have produced a poster to support tourism businesses in the region. Click on the poster below to download and print, and display in your business.

The Government have released guidance for the visitor economy, to help them work safely during the coronavirus. Click on the link below to read the guidance.

Working safely during coronavirus - the visitor economy

Plans underway for Exeter city centre's reopening

On Monday 15 June non-essential retailers will be allowed to reopen for the first time since the end of March, once they have completed a risk assessment. 

Temporary and permanent measures and changes are required to ensure the city centre remains a vibrant place to live, work, socialise, visit, shop and work.  

Social distancing measures must be in place to ensure the safety of shoppers. Stencils will be marked outside shops and throughout the City Centre, signs will be put up to help people keep two metres apart and some narrow streets will operate a one way system.

Temporary signage will support social distancing across the city centre as well as in the neighbourhood Centres of Topsham, the Quay and Piazza Terracina, Heavitree, Cowick Street and Magdalen Road.

Stores will limit the number of customers inside to allow two metre social distancing to be followed. Markings may be placed outside stores to assist with the spacing of queues.

Read more about the plans for reopening here.

Visitor Economy Recovery Plans

Exeter City Council has recently approved a recovery plan for the city, which sets out the steps needed to support a co-ordinated response to the challenges the local economy will face over the coming weeks, months and beyond. Recovery groups have been set up focusing on seven key areas:

• Business Support
• City Centre
• Visitor Economy
• Transport
• Construction & Development
• Community Wellbeing
• Education

To help us plan for recovery, we would be very grateful if you could complete the survey below, which will help us to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 virus on businesses in Exeter and the plans you are putting in place for recovery. Please just click on the link relevant to your business.

Visitor Economy Recovery Survey - Accommodation

Visitor Economy Recovery Survey - Attractions

Visitor Economy Recovery Survey - Food & Drink

Visitor Economy Recovery Survey - Shopping

Latest advice and resources for businesses in Exeter

As we approach Step Three of the UK Government's COVID-19 Recovery Strategy, when tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses can start to look at opening from 4th July, we have put together some resources to help you plan for reopening whilst adhering to the new COVID-19 Secure guidelines.

VisitEngland is a good source of information for tourism and hospitality businesses. See the useful links below for advice and guidance.

Visit England guidance and advice for those providing hotel and other accommodation in England.

Visit Britain and Visit England latest Covid 19 information and advice for businesses 

Visit England Industry Standard Quality Mark 

Visit England's Business Advice Hub

VisitBritain/VisitEngland will launch their business recovery webinar programme on 30th June. These free webinars will address your business needs to support, guide and engage, ultimately helping to drive the nation’s tourism recovery, together.

Visit their website here for webinar dates and registration links.

Digital Boost are offering free digital advice for small businesses and charities impacted by coronavirus, provided by expert volunteers.

The Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK have published approved Self-Catering COVID Cleaning Guidelines in anticipation for when they may be able to reopen. See the guidelines here.

The Heart of the South West LEP has launched its Route Map to Recovery which outlines measures to help stimulate the economy across Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay through three phases: Restart, Revitalise and Grow.

Read the Heart of the SW LEP's Covid-19 Route Map to Recovery here

Visit Devon, in conjunction with the English Riviera BID Company have produced draft Government Working Safely During COVID-19 Guidelines for the re-opening of some tourism and hospitality businesses, in line with the Government’s Roadmap for Recovery Plan. Read the guidelines below:

Guidelines for Accommodation

Guidelines for Attractions

Guidelines for Restaurants & Cafes

The Better Business for All (BBfA) partnership has used their knowledge and expertise to bring together resources from trusted organisations to help guide you through the main considerations for restarting your business safely. 

See their Covid-19 Toolkit for useful documents such as a risk assessment template and action plan, business checklists and useful guides to help you.

The Exeter Discretionary Business Grant is now open for the following businesses:

• Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces
• Regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment
• Bed and Breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of business rates; and
• Charity properties in receipt of Charitable Business Rates Relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief

https://exeter.gov.uk/topupgrant/

Accommodation providers may find the following 'Tourism Charter' graphic useful, when sending booking confirmation to their customers:

Businesses and accommodation providers may find the following documents useful, for dealing with customers suspected of having COVID-19:

The following artwork has been created for businesses in Exeter to use and promote as they wish:

To access more information refer to the guidance below or search the titles on GOV.UK:

• Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)
• COVID-19: cleaning in non-healthcare settings outside the home
• NHS Test and Trace service in the workplace
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers

Action cards for:

Tourist Attractions, entertainment & holiday resorts

Caravan & camp sites, hotels and B&B’s

Shops, cafes, restaurants, cultural & heritage attractions and cinemas