Hounslow Chamber webinars
All are free, run for 60 minutes and start at 10:00 am:


2 nd  June - Health & Wellbeing -
Many of us have now been working from home for the past few months. The cracks are beginning to show!


4 th June - Business Task Force -
We are pleased that Cllr. Guy Lambert, Cabinet Member for Highways, Recycling and Companies is able to be with us.


If you have missed our webinars, you can watch them now:  https://hounslowchamber.org.uk/10015
Update from the Government (courtesy of the Cabinet Office)

From Monday 1st June
1) Nurseries and other early years settings and reception, year one and year six in primary schools will reopen in a safe way;
 
2) Outdoor retail and car showrooms, where social distancing is generally easier, will reopen; and 
 
3) Up to six people will be able to meet outside (in parks, gardens and other private outdoor space) - provided those from different households continue strictly to observe social distancing rules by staying two metres apart.
 
Please note that those who have been asked to shield themselves should continue to do so.
 
Further social distancing guidance will follow in the coming days - please visit the Coronavirus FAQs page for updates:  https://bit.ly/CV19FAQs
 
From Monday 15th June
1) Secondary schools will begin to provide some face-to-face contact time for years 10 and 12; and 
 
2) The government intends to reopen other non-essential retail - but only provided the five tests are still being met and shops have been made Covid secure.
New SSP rules for government tracing initiative

Today the government has launched its contact tracing service in England (similar initiatives available in the rest of the UK). The purpose of the initiative is to try and reduce the spread of Covid-19 by tracking down anyone that has been in contact with a person who tests positive for the virus and asking them to self-isolate for up to 14 days. The individuals that will be asked to self-isolate include anyone that has been in contact with the infected person within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes.

The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) regulations have been amended to capture those who are advised to self-isolate through the contact tracing initiative. This means that anyone who is advised to self-isolate through the initiative will be deemed as incapable of working and will qualify for SSP, even if they do not present any symptoms.

Guidance issued by the government states that employees in self-isolation are entitled to SSP for every day that they are in isolation (as long as they meet the eligibility requirements). This indicates that SSP should be payable from the first day that the individual is told to self-isolate.

Although these individuals will qualify for SSP, we suggest that if they are able to successfully work from home (as many employees are already), then it would not be appropriate to stop them from doing that in favour of paying them SSP. If you need more advice about this, please contact the team and we would be happy to help.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest employment news @MBEmployment

Katherine Maxwell
Partner | Employment
023 8071 8094
From tomorrow (Saturday 30 May) 124 bus routes across London will return to front door boarding. Customers will once again be required to touch in with Oyster, contactless and concessionary cards. New limits to the number of customers on board will also be introduced to further ensure the safety of customers and drivers.

These buses will have signage instructing customers to board using the front door and to touch in using their Oyster, contactless or concessionary cards. Front door boarding will be reinstated on more routes as soon as possible. TfL anticipate all London buses will have returned to front-door boarding by mid-June.

Extensive work to assess the risks for drivers in their cabs has been carried out, and TfL has worked alongside bus operators and Unite the Union to develop improvements to the protective screens next to drivers. The analysis finds that the steps taken – adding a film layer to screens, and sealing off gaps around the screen including the Oyster reader – substantially reduce the risk to drivers of contracting coronavirus from customers. This is in addition to the rigorous cleaning regime where driver’s cabs, handrails and other regularly touched surfaces are treated with hospital-grade anti-viral disinfectant.

Reinstating the traditional passenger flow into buses from the front will improve social distancing for customers when they get on or off our buses, and when they queue at stations and stops. It will also give us accurate information about bus usage to help ensure we are providing the service required to enable safe travel for all.

To further ensure the safety of customers and bus drivers, new limits to the number of customers on board at any one time will be introduced. Double deck buses will be able to carry up to 20 customers. Single deck buses, depending on the size of the vehicle, will be able to carry between six and 10 customers. The driver will have discretion to allow more customers on board if they are travelling in households or groups.
Message from Torin Douglas: We’re still living in strange times and I hope you and your families are staying safe and well. But here in Chiswick we now have something to look forward to.


Green Days At Home & the Bedford Park Festival Online start in two weeks' time on June 12th and I thought you'd like to see a first glimpse of our virtual Green and Craft Fair. Please click here to become involved.
Good News:
No new cases of Coronavirus in Hounslow for a week!
NHS Deposit Contribution Scheme – help for Hounslow NHS workers:  click here for more details.
Please click here for the May newsletter
Hounslow Chamber of Commerce is the primary support, networking, and representation organisation in west London for SMEs.

We support the interests, the commercial aspirations and the investment for some 18,000 firms - from Chiswick to Feltham, Heathrow to Osterley and Brentford to Bedfont - the Chamber is the voice for all businesses located in the borough.