"Compliments for a well run show. I watched the Webinar this morning, and I was impressed with the smoothness of your operation. I watch other such meetings and I think you could teach them a thing or two !" - Peter Buckley, ITSL Consultancy
Kickstart Scheme - 12th November - 10:00 am for 60 minutes
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iSVWcpy8R2GZcfKU01tZGQ

Need more information? Please come along to our webinar to learn more!
We are very pleased that our panellists will be:

  • Nigel Yates - Kickstart Co-Ordination Team Leader, London and Essex Group Office
  • Jaswant Lall - Partnership Manager, Work & Health Services Group, Hounslow Jobcentre

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. This is part of the government’s Plan for Jobs and aims to create hundreds and thousands of new, fully funded jobs across England, Scotland and Wales.

  • The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements for young people.
  • Through the scheme, you’ll be able to access a large pool of young people with potential, ready for an opportunity. The candidates are aged between 16-24 and are on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
  • Employers from all industries and across the private, public and voluntary sectors can get involved.


If you have missed our webinars, you can watch them now: https://hounslowchamber.org.uk/10015
Update on support packages for businesses (courtesy of LCCI)

  • A document has been released by Treasury outlining the recent changes to business support – please see here. Below are a couple of highlights:

  • Furlough scheme extended until 31 March 2021
  • The Chancellor has announced that the furlough scheme is extended to end of March, staying at 80%. Employers will only need to pay the cost of pension and national insurance contributions for hours not worked. This will be reviewed in January however, to see if employers should be asked to pay more.
  • Employees need to have been on the payroll at the latest 30 October 2020.
  • Employees who were on the payroll on 23 September 2020, but subsequently made redundant, can be re-employed and claimed for under the CJRS.
  • The Job Retention Bonus – £1,000 for keeping workers on until January – has now been dropped. This sort of incentive will be redeployed at the appropriate time.

  • Support for self employed
  • The Chancellor has also announced that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant covering November to January will now be calculated at 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500, with a further grant to follow covering February to April.

  • More information on discretionary grants
  • Businesses forced to close will be able to access grants of up to £3,000 per month, as per previous releases.
  • In addition, LAs will be given funds to distribute ‘Additional Restrictions Grants’. These are intended to be discretionary, and the full guidance is here
  • In terms of the size of the funds, each LA will receive a one-off payment of £20 per head
  • Allocations are set to be made to LAs later this week
Tony Ryan has put together a comprehensive guide to the support available during this second lockdown. Please click here.
FURTHER NEWS AND UPDATES (courtesy of White Label)
 
£134m boost to help UK businesses build back greener
Businesses across the UK are set to benefit from £134 million investment, enabling ground-breaking clean growth projects develop new technologies and secure new jobs. Read more.
 
Jenrick launches 'Protect Programme': the next step in winter rough sleeping plan
A new £15million scheme to help protect some of the most vulnerable people from COVID-19 has been announced by the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today. Read more.
UK Threat Level update - click here. But in a nutshell it is keep calm and carry on!
Webinar title: Let’s Talk Trade Finance
Date: 19 Nov
Time: 10 am (30 min) 
Link to join (save the link to use on the day): 
 
Info: Increase your funding knowledge with our partner webinar.
Trading internationally can be challenging, so why don’t more SMEs take advantage of the growth opportunities. Cash flow issues can arise between businesses paying their suppliers and getting payment from their customers. Join Bibby and Finpoint on a free webinar to learn more about how trade finance can help your business these days.
We have made the sad but inevitable decision to hold the Awards on-line, rather than a live event. They will now take place online on Wednesday, 9th December at 6.00 pm. We are proud to announce Mark Ramprakash, the cricketer and "Strictly" winner, will be our guest speaker.

Mark Ramprakash, former England, Middlesex and Surrey batsman; a prolific run scorer and one of the best at County Level. Over the past 5 and a half years, Mark was the batting coach for the England cricket team. However, he is now currently Head of Cricket at Harrow School, London. Other than his impact on the cricketing industry, Mark was also the winner of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 and is now an ambassador for the British Asian Trust.

The costs are £59 plus VAT and booking fee per person for an Executive Ticket, this ticket includes the Ceremony and a Gift Bag with wine, a £25 food gift card and other goodies. Or £29 plus VAT and booking fee per person for a Standard Ticket, this ticket is just for the Ceremony.

The deadline to book your Executive ticket is 11th November so do it now!


I do hope you decide to enter into the spirit of the evening, to mark the end of 2020, with an enjoyable evening, albeit remotely, to boost the morale of our companies in this challenging current climate.
Good News:
West London Local Chambers & Hounslow Chamber of Commerce are the primary support, networking, and representation organisation in west London for SMEs.

We support the interests, the commercial aspirations and the investment from businesses in Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham - the Chamber is the voice for all businesses located in the borough