Further update – for Friday 17th April – from Councillors Fraser Macpherson
(West End) and Craig Duncan (Broughty Ferry)
NEW SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS
Around £220 million of further grants are being made available for businesses.
The Scottish Government measures include £120 million to extend the Small Business Grant scheme to ensure that, in addition to a 100% grant on the first property, small business rate payers will be eligible to a 75% grant on all subsequent properties.
A £100 million fund is also being made available to protect self-employed people and viable micro and SME businesses. This fund will be channelled through local authorities and enterprise agencies to target newly self-employed people and businesses who are ineligible for other Scottish Government or UK Government schemes.
Applications will be open by the end of the month, and the new arrangements for the Small Business Grant will be in place to receive applications on 5 May.
SUMMARY OF CORONAVIRUS (SCOTLAND) ACT 2020
A summary of the key measures contained within the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 which came into force on Tuesday, 7 April can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-stakeholders-on-the-coronavirus-scotland-act-2020/. The guidance for is primarily for central and local government and public bodies but will be of interest to a wider audience too.
STUDENT DECISIONS
Prospective university and college students are being reassured that they will receive their results on time, and universities and colleges will assess those qualifications as part of the admissions process. Universities are also being urged to observe a moratorium on changing offers made to undergraduate students. The UCAS May deadlines are being extended by two weeks to give students more time to make decisions about their future.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
After Willie Rennie MSP asked the First Minister to increase mental health support during the pandemic, we are pleased that new support is now available. It includes an investment of more than £1 million towards the expansion of the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme to help people in distress. People who are in distress but do not need clinical intervention will be referred to the DBI programme by frontline staff, including NHS 24.
DONATE PPE
Medical Supply Drive UK (Scotland) is a voluntary organisation started by medics and medical students to free up dormant supplies of PPE for front line health workers. Local man Michael Farrell is volunteering for them. Do you have Personal Protective Equipment that you could donate to frontline NHS staff?
CORONOVIRUS TESTING CAPACITY CALL
The UK government is requesting industry involvement in the manufacture of Coronavirus testing capacity and testing kits. Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce is kindly amongst those spreading the word with its members and sharing the specification criteria. Businesses who meet this specification should review the guidance on helping the government increase testing capacity and register at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-support-from-business.
COVID-19 – BUSINESS HUB
Alison Henderson, Chief Executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce advises – “The Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce Covid-19 Hub is an information & signposting service for ANY business looking to understand how the current situation impacts them, their staff and their future. At this time, we make no distinction between a member or non-member business looking for our support. To get our business and communities through this crisis will mean a partnership approach and there is no wrong door to helping a business access the support they need, or to see them survive. There of course remain many membership services that are only accessible to our members and we will continue to use every avenue at our disposal to maintain our strong community and to be a trusted partner to businesses across Dundee & Angus. Please call us on 01382 228545 if we can help.”
Cycles for Key Workers
SUSTRANS has launched ‘Cycles for Key Workers’, a single online map helping key workers find free and discounted cycles, equipment, and bike-sharing schemes as well as repair and maintenance services in their local area.
SUSTRANS is calling on the cycling industry, local authorities and professional bodies representing an occupation that the government has defined as key, to get involved and support the campaign to help key workers travel safely during the crisis.
The online map is accessible at https://www.sustrans.org.uk/campaigns/cycles-for-key-workers/
SUPPORT AND ADVICE
This is an anxious and uncertain time but we want you to know that we are here to try to help constituents in whatever way that we can.
CONTACT DETAILS
WEST END WARD – Bailie Fraser Macpherson
Phone – Dundee 459378 (home)
E-mail – fraser.macpherson@dundeecity.gov.uk
Facebook updates : www.facebook.com/dundeewestend
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