Business organisations have backed government help outlined last night to support the self-employed and sole traders affected by coronavirus, describing them as a lifeline for around 5m people. The measures announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, pictured below, provide a grant worth 80% of profits up to a cap of £2,500 a month and are targeted...
Bath Building Society has said it expects the coronavirus pandemic to have “minimal” impact on its overall financial position despite the three-month mortgage holiday announced by the government. The society, which has more than 20,000 savers and 1,200 mortgage customers, has also introduced penalty-free access to deposits for members to reduce financial hardship caused...
Bath’s small and medium-sized manufacturers are being urged to take part in a major survey to gauge the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on industry. The resected quarterly Manufacturing Barometer – the largest survey of its type in England – has just gone live and is inviting companies to highlight the issues they are...
Bath businesses needing up-to-date information, advice and guidance to help them trade in the current unprecedented market conditions are being encouraged to turn to a new web portal launched by Business West, the region’s largest business organisation. Called Trading Through Coronavirus, it aims to help businesses navigate their way through the crisis by enabling...
The South West TUC and Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, have jointly welcomed the latest government measures to tackle the economic and jobs crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. But in a joint statement they slammed the regional response as “too slow . . . fragmented and inconsistent” and called for further...
Pubs, cafes and restaurants must close down this evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced, as Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a massive package of measures to support businesses and their workers. The government is to pay 80% of wages for employees not working, up to £2,500 a month, Mr Sunak said. Companies and organisations...
Invest in Bath’s website has the latest news on the range of financial support schemes, including the latest government measures and local authority grants and loans. The website is run by the business growth and regeneration teams at Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council in association with the West of England Combined Authority’s inward...
Shares in Bath-based media group Future soared by more than 30% today after it said it was overcoming any impact on the business from the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, the group – whose 140 titles range from TechRadar and PC Gamer to Classic Rock and FourFourTwo – expects its half-year results due at...
A business launched by two Bath entrepreneurs that helps small e-commerce firms distribute their products has received a major investment from an international logistics group. The undisclosed funding from Maersk Growth, the corporate venture arm of the global shipping container giant, will allow Huboo to continue its rapid growth. Huboo’s innovative software platform provides...
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 0.1% – their lowest level ever – as it attempts to deal with the economic fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic. The move is the second emergency cut in just over a week prompted by the outbreak – last week the rate was reduced from 0.75%...
