Advice for businesses about coronavirus

As the situation with coronavirus is developing, we want to keep our local businesses up to date with current support for businesses.

General business support

We remain committed to supporting our local businesses to help minimise the impact of Covid-19 and will keep this page up to date.

Key up to date on the latest business support announcements from:

For the latest information on the support available from Welsh Government for small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak visit: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice. Or you can call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000.
For the very latest updates from UK Government on support for businesses please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
UK Gov has a 'support finder' tool which is a simple online questionnaire. This will help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily get a list of financial support available during the COVID-19 pandemic - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder
Superfast Business Wales have a series of in-depth webinar or a 30 minute 'How to' sessions to help businesses affected by COVID-19, visit: https://businesswales.gov.wales/superfastbusinesswales/events
Business advice

Guidance for hospitality businesses

Regulations: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-legislation-restrictions-individuals-business-and-others
Welsh Government Guidance for tourism and hospitality businesses - coronavirus: https://gov.wales/guidance-for-tourism-and-hospitality-businesses-coronavirus
UKH Guidance for Hospitality in Wales: https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/page/WalesGuidance
Welsh Government Coronavirus regulations - frequently asked questions: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance

UK Government Recovery Loan Scheme

The UK Government have launched the new Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) to provide further financial support to businesses as they recover and grow following the Coronavirus pandemic.

You can apply to the scheme if Covid-19 has affected your business. You can use the finance for any legitimate business purpose - including managing cashflow, investment and growth. However, you must be able to afford to take out additional debt finance for these purposes.

If your business has already borrowed from any of the other coronavirus loan schemes, namely:

the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS),
the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS),
the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS),

RLS is still open to you, although the amount you have borrowed under an existing scheme may in certain circumstances limit the amount you may borrow under RLS.

At Autumn Budget 2021, the government announced that the Recovery Loan Scheme will be extended by six months to 30 June 2022, with the following changes applying from 1 January 2022:

the scheme will only be open to businesses with a turnover not exceeding £45m per annum
the maximum amount of finance available will be £2 million per business (maximum amount per Group limited to £6m)
the guarantee coverage that the government will provide to lenders will be reduced to 70%

For further information please visit www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/recovery-loan-scheme/.

HMRC support on VAT and PAYE

HMRC Debt Repayment Plan for your Outstanding Taxes - https://www.gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc

HMRC helplines
HMRC have also set up a help line specifically for the self employed and businesses who will be struggling due to COVID19, including giving advice on tax and benefits you can claim for. The helpline can be reached on 0300 456 3565.
If you run a business or are self-employed and are concerned about paying your tax due to coronavirus, you can call HMRC's helpline for help and advice: 0800 024 1222.

Personal Learning Account (PLA)

This programme was launched in September 2019 by the Welsh Government and is designed to help businesses across the priority sectors to recruit new talent and overcome current and future skill shortages. This programme will also be responsive to employers' upskilling requirements. It will support employers to prepare for future skills and qualification needs to help rebuild businesses during this time of economic uncertainty.

Your skills requirements may have changed as a result of Covid-19, for example:

it could be that you now need to change the way you market your business
your employees may need to new digital skills to adjust to new markets

The PLA programme may be able to help by:

supporting the skills development of your employees through flexible training courses
enabling employees to gain qualifications to help meet your current skills gaps
helping you address current challenges and grow the business

To enquire about accessing this funding contact Gower College on 01792 284400 or email training@gcs.ac.uk

Are you a local business offering home deliveries, collections or takeaways?

We've brought together a list of local businesses supplying food and other essential items via delivery or collection during the coronavirus pandemic: Deliveries and takeaways - suppliers of food and essential items in Swansea

If you are a local business offering delivery or collection of food and other essential items to residents of Swansea let us know so we can add you to the list: Submit information on what food/essentials you can supply

Guidance for drivers from Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

With an increase in deliveries as more people order items online the HSE is making sure that the driver's welfare is being looked after.

Drivers must have access to welfare facilities in the premises they visit as part of their work. Those who already provide reasonable access to toilets and handwashing facilities should continue to do so. Preventing access is against the law.

COVID-19: guidance on freight transport