The Prime Minister has set out new measures to restrict the spread of Coronavirus. (courtesy of the Cabinet Office)
 
The PM's statement can be found here: https://bit.ly/32epCQZ
 
The new measures include the following: 

  • From Monday 14 September it will not be possible to meet with people from other households socially in groups of more than six. This will apply indoors and outdoors, including in private homes. Education and work settings are unaffected;
  • Businesses will have a clear duty to support NHS Test and Trace. From Friday 18 September, it will be mandatory for certain businesses to have a system to collect NHS Test and Trace data, which must be kept for 21 days.

More information about the measures is available at: https://bit.ly/3k178cN. This also provides a link to simplified COVID-19 Secure guidance published today. 
A message from the Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Steve Curran
Over the past week, there has been an increase in coronavirus cases in Hounslow, as there has across much of London. Cases are highest in people aged between 20 and 50 years old and my thoughts go out to anyone suffering from the virus at this current time. We know a small number of people are in hospital.

This serves us all a strong reminder of the realities of this pandemic – the danger is still very real, and the infection can spread rapidly. It’s important to remember that if you have symptoms to get tested at one of our local testing sites immediately and self-isolate from others.

The Government has now issued new rules, starting from Monday 14 September, that you must not meet socially in groups of more than six indoors or outdoors unless it meets one of the exemptions. When you are out, don’t forget the simple ways to keep yourself and others protected – wear a face covering, wash your hands regularly and remain two metres apart from others where possible. None of us want to risk another lockdown or making one of our family or friends sick. Let’s all work together to stop the spread of the virus and keep everyone in Hounslow safe.

This week, we announced that we reached a mutual agreement with Fusion Lifestyle for the Council and our trading company Lampton 360 to take over the operation and running of leisure services and public halls in the borough. We know how frustrating the delay in being able to reopen our leisure centres and public halls has been for members and users of the services. We will work as quickly as possible to transition services and staff over, and work towards a phased opening from 1 November. Our website and frequently asked questions will be regularly updated.

We have also called for urgent support for aviation communities following a report which predicts thousands of job losses and a possible £1 billion hit to the borough’s economy. It’s vital we act now to support our communities at risk, because underneath the numbers and predictions are real people, whose livelihoods depend on the aviation sector and its supply chain. We are already engaging with our partners across west London, with Government and other local authorities across the UK, to draw up a proposition for an Aviation Community Fund, that responds to our needs in Hounslow and other impacted communities.

On Monday we are excited to be hosting our virtual borough conference with local partners. It will be a chance for us to discuss the borough’s recovery plans in the wake of the coronavirus. It will also give us the opportunity recognise the amazing work of community groups, businesses, faith leaders, public sector partners and residents who have played a vital role in the borough's response to the pandemic. I look forward to updating you further next week.

Finally, now schools are back, I want to encourage everyone to leave their cars at home and make the most of our school streets programme by walking, cycling or scooting to school in safety if they can. It’s a fantastic way to get active and helps us to provide space for pupils to social distance.
Kelly O’Neill, the public health director at Hounslow Council has three fears:

  • People not self-isolating when they return from a destination abroad which is not on the exempt list
  • Parents not socially distancing outside school
  • Younger people ignoring social distancing when they meet up with friends

"We all want to get back to the things we enjoy but coronavirus has not gone away, and lives are still at risk. Coronavirus can spread without symptoms. Don’t be the person who spreads it to a vulnerable friend or family member for whom catching the virus could lead to serious illness," she said.
Our August traffic figures, which were released today show an 82% drop in passenger demand compared with the same period in 2019, whilst our international rivals – like Frankfurt airport – have overtaken us by adopting safe airport testing solutions. This provides an early warning that Britain’s economy will fall behind if we don’t protect our trading network.

Heathrow’s cargo is down 34% compared with last year, with more businesses struggling to get their products to international markets as Government restrictions have severed many air links. This decrease is despite more dedicated cargo flights coming into Heathrow in August – 1,923 compared with 218 last year.

In the absence of a vaccine, we will all need to adapt to a world with COVID-19 in it. Now is the time to push innovation and rely on new technologies to reduce the risk of transmission and boost passenger demand in travel.

This isn’t about restarting holidays - this matters because the UK is an island trading nation. We’re heading towards Brexit and if we want “Global Britain” to be more than a campaign slogan, we need to make sure we have a plan to travel and trade safely with some of our biggest markets. Currently our long-haul markets like North America – critical for UK exporters and inbound tourism, students and investment – remain closed due to the Government’s blanket 14-day quarantine policy.

It is time for words of support for testing to be turned into action. Every day of delay costs more British jobs and leaves us further behind in the international race for economic recovery.
New grants for businesses that are forced to close due to local lockdowns.

The HMT press release is here. (information from LCCI)
 
The key points are:
 
  • any businesses still closed at a national level (e.g. nightclubs), will not be eligible
  • if a business occupies a premises with a rateable value less than £51,000 or occupy a property or part of a property subject to an annual rent or mortgage payment of less than £51,000, it will receive £1000
  • if a business has a rateable value more than £51,000 or part of a property subject to an annual rent or mortgage payment of more than £51,000, it will receive £1500
  • Local authorities will also receive an additional 5% top up amount of business support funding to enable them to help other businesses affected by closures which may not be on the business rates list. Payments made to businesses from this discretionary fund can be any amount up to £1500, and may be less than £1000 in some cases.
  • Local authorities will be responsible for distributing the grants to businesses in circumstances where they are closed due to local interventions
Don't miss out on additional grants!

The government has announced to provide £2000 grant to employers for each new apprentice you hire aged under 25, between August 2020 and January 2021.

There's also an additional £1000 for hiring 16-18 year olds! For those employers who hire new apprentices aged 25 and over, the government will pay £1500. Contact us now to find out more!

Apologies, incorrect version of letter regarding the Streetspace initiative in Chiswick was sent out.
 
Work will start on 14th September and end on 30th November 2020.
ECONOMIC UPDATE WEBINAR
Thursday 8 October 12:30pm - 1:30pm
We are delighted to have Suren Thiru as our guest speaker for our first Heathrow lunch club webinar. Suren is Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commence and will provide us with an Economic Update.
With a wide-ranging background in economics, Suren oversees the BCC’s economic thought leadership work and is a regular commentator on the UK economy featuring regularly on television and radio and in the national press. Suren also leads on the BCC’s policy work on access to finance, international trade, and tax. He also contributes to the BCC’s policy ideas for economic growth and government spending. Prior to joining the BCC, he spent over five years as an economist at Lloyds Banking Group. 

Spotlight on:
WESTFIELD LONDON LAUNCHES OUTDOOR BAR W12 & FILM CLUB
  •  Bar W12 will open for summer drinks on the lawns to enjoy outdoors
  • Family classics will be screened every Thursday to Sunday
  • Screenings at the Film Club are free to attend 


Westfield London has launched a new outdoor entertainment space this week to keep visitors socialising safely this summer. It opened on Thursday 6th August, Westfield Square is the new West London destination for eating, drinking and outdoor film screenings. Bar W12 & Film Club is the latest exciting addition to Westfield London’s selection of experiences for shoppers, designed and introduced with social distancing in mind.

Bar W12 will be operated by Westwood, the premium sports and dining venue located on the Square. The bar will serve summer drinks and pizza to visitors to enjoy al fresco on days and evenings out this summer. A brand-new outdoor cinema will screen movies including Rogue One: Star Wars Story, Finding Dory and Moana from Thursday through to Sunday until September 13th, with free showings at 3pm and 6pm. Cosy cushions to relax on will be available to purchase from the centre’s Guest Services Hub with all proceeds going to Westfield London’s national charity partner, Save the Children.

Jacinta Rowsell, General Manager, Westfield London comments: “Bar W12 & Film Club is a great addition to Westfield Square and a new destination to enjoy socialising safely in West London. We have great food and a fantastic line-up of films for visitors to Westfield London including some Disney favourites. With deck chairs and large lawns for lounging, this sunny space will allow visitors to enjoy themselves and have fun with friends and family in a safe environment.”

All film viewings will take place in line with government guidelines for social distancing. Deckchairs and picnic tables will be positioned across the outdoor area and bubbles have been marked out on the turf of Westfield Square for parties of varying sizes to sit in safely.

Westfield event and security teams will be monitoring the site at all times to encourage visitors to respect government guidelines, keeping a safe 2m distance from other parties at all times.

Picnic tables will be cleaned thoroughly after every use, and all returned deckchairs will undergo a full disinfection at the end of each day.

These safety measures will be communicated around the BarW12 site through a visual advertising campaign, Working Together, as well as through our onsite event and security teams and our tannoy announcements.

To see the schedule of films please visit: https://uk.westfield.com/london/events Bar W12 and the outdoor cinema will welcome visitors until the 13th September.
H&F BID are cleansing their street space, as part of their ShopLocalShopSafe campaign, focusing on frequently touched areas – so the 25 pedestrian crossing point in the BID area. Their cleaners use a viricidal disinfectant in accordance with both the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control guidelines.

The products they use have reactive barrier technology which when applied to any surface, floors, walls and even fabrics, bacteria and viruses are killed in seconds. In the presence of bacteria, viruses, fungi, spores and moulds the barrier is activated and kills these pathogens. This barrier is effective for up to 7 days ensuring that surfaces and places of work are kept virus-free.
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