More than 27.5 million people tuned in to watch Prime Minister Boris Johnson's address to the nation on Sunday 10th May 2020, meaning it was one of the most watched television broadcasts in UK television history (according to Campaign Master). What we learned from that is that communication is key. Hounslow Chamber is part of your communication channel. We are receiving much useful information, which we pass to you on a daily basis. We also run the weekly Business Task Force at Ten on Thursdays. Please do join us tomorrow when we will try to answer your queries.
Hounslow Chamber webinars
All are free, run for 60 minutes and start at 10:00 am:


The panel is made up of:
  • Nick Woolf – Nicholas Woolf Solicitors
  • Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services at Hounslow Council
  • Shankar Devarashetty – Oasis Accountants
  • Soraya Lavery – CPGEXP, advice on how we come out of this now easing has begun
  • John Rose – HR Department- HR specialist
  • Tony Ryan – Branduin Business Support, becoming an expert on all the government business support programmes, delivery partner for the WorkHounslow Programme
  • Alan Rides – business man, MD of Chamber and International Trade expert


If you have missed our webinars, you can watch them now:  https://hounslowchamber.org.uk/10015
New edition of Hounslow Talks Business

Hounslow Chamber features in a Boostcast, produced by new Chamber member, Uspire Ltd. 

Please take a look here: https://youtu.be/S7wPhEEyuQ8

Every click earns £1 for the NHS – how can you not do it?

The Uspire message is:
we energise your people to transform your business

Your first step is easy – give us one hour of your time, so we can learn more about your specific needs.

DAILY BUSINESS BRIEFING FROM GOVERNMENT'S COVID-19 PRESS CONFERENCE (Courtesy of White Label)

Environment Secretary George Eustice has urged furloughed workers to join a new ‘land army’ of seasonal workers on British farms.
   
Speaking at today’s Downing Street press conference, he announced the government had partnered with the farming industry to launch the Pick for Britain website to help match up available opportunities with local jobseekers.
   
Mr Eustice said only around a third of the people who would normally migrate to the UK to do work are already here, so this year the country will have to rely on on British workers to lend a hand to bring the harvest home. He added: “Those who are furloughed, who maybe want to lend a hand and play a part, or who may want to supplement their income with another job, and I would urge them to visit the website and look at the opportunities.”
UK sets out post-Brexit tariff regime

The government announced this morning the UK’s new MFN (‘Most Favoured Nation’) tariff regime, the UK Global Tariff (UKGT) which will replace the EU’s Common External Tariff on 1 January 2021 at the end of the Transition Period. Full details are available here.
Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme:   https://bit.ly/CLBILSUpdate (courtesy of Cabinet Office)

The government has extended the maximum loan size available through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme from £50 million to £200 million.

Loans under the expanded scheme will be made available to large businesses affected by coronavirus from next week.

Changes also mean companies receiving help through CLBILS and the Bank of England’s Coronavirus Corporate Financing Fund will be asked to agree to not pay dividends and to exercise restraint on senior pay


Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme:   https://bit.ly/SSPLaunchDate
The recently announced Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will go live from 26th May, when a new online service will be launched for small and medium-sized employers - with fewer than 250 employees - to recover Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payments they have made to their employees.
 
Employers will receive repayments at the relevant rate of SSP that they have paid to current or former employees for eligible periods of sickness starting on or after 13 March 2020.
 
Full guidance can be found here:  https://bit.ly/SSPRebateScheme
Pan-London PPE Boost (courtesy of London Councils)
 
London boroughs have agreed a new pan-London partnership to secure emergency supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for care homes and other crucial local services on the Covid-19 frontline.
The initiative is expected to result in more than 48 million PPE items becoming available for all London local authorities to distribute in the coming weeks, as care services across London continue to face intense pressures.
The collaboration between the boroughs builds on a supply chain established by the West London Alliance. Through expanding the West London Alliance’s successful shared procurement of PPE, all the 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation will now benefit from economies of scale and ease the strain on PPE supply lines caused by surging global demand.
Tea time free Zoom Meeting today at 3pm

Buy-to-let landlords rights during lockdown

Vinay Tanna is again hosting a meeting with a panel of solicitors and property professionals this time to discuss ‘Buy-to-let landlords rights during lockdown’ .

The advice will include how to deal with tenant’s breaches, rent arrears and seeking your property back.

Please join us today at 3:00 pm.

Good News:
Hounslow Chamber member, Ash Sanjenbam launches innovative sanitising station .
Together with Brand Architekts PLC, we helped source goody bags of toiletries for NHS workers now staying at the Holiday Inn Brentford Lock.

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.