Highland Council to consult on Common Good property list for Wick

The Highland Council is today (17 November 2020) launching a consultation giving the community until 12 March 2021 to comment on the proposed contents of the Common Good Fund Asset Register for Wick.

The Highland Council does not currently hold a Common Good Fund for the former Royal Burgh of Wick. However, following an unrelated title examination, property was identified that should have been correctly categorised as Common Good.

As a result, a full and detailed investigation has been undertaken into other property titles that may also be Common Good in Wick and a list of potential Common Good property has been developed.

Section 102 Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 states that before establishing a Common Good Asset Register the Council must first conduct a public consultation on a list of property (buildings, land, artwork, regalia and funds) it is proposing to include. The statutory consultation should run for a period of 12 weeks however, the Council is extending this to 16 weeks due to the current Covid restrictions.

The Council is keen to involve the community in this process to ensure that all Wick Common Good property is identified and included. The Community Council and community bodies will be notified and invited to make representations.

However, the list will be widely publicised and available for public representations to be made. The Council must investigate and respond to any representations received. Representations, responses and any final decision will be published on the Council website. Local authorities must also have in place a process for regular review of the Asset Register once published.

The list of property proposed to be included in the Common Good Asset Register for Wick.

Further information on the process required to establish and review the Common Good Asset Register can be found here on the Council website.

Please submit written responses either by email to commongood@highland.gov.uk or by post to Sara Murdoch, The Highland Council HQ, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX.

The UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new, fully subsidised job placements for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Employers of any size will receive funding for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions. Employers will also receive £1500 towards training, equipment and set up costs.

Employers can spread the start date of the job placements up until the end of December 2021.

All job placements under the Kickstart Scheme must be new roles and must not replace existing or planned vacancies, or cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours.

Inverness Chamber of Commerce is acting as a “gateway organisation” to assist those interested in taking part of the scheme but looking to create less than 30 new roles.

If you are interested in taking part in the scheme, download the employers guide and then simply click here to register your interest and request an application form.

As you may have heard announced this afternoon, the Chancellor has extended the support available to businesses through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough scheme) until the end of March 2021, along with various changes to other support mechanisms.

You can download a Treasury factsheet here outlining today’s announcements, and we have summarised the key changes as follows:

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

• Extended until end March 2021, with a policy review in January to assess the level of employer contribution required.
• Eligible employees will receive 80% of their salary (up to £2.500 per month) for hours not worked, with no employer contribution to wages for hours not worked.
• Employers will be asked to cover National Insurance and pension contributions for hours not worked.
• Neither the employer nor the employee needs to have previously claimed / been claimed for under the existing scheme. Employees on PAYE payroll on 30 October 2020 can be claimed for.
• Employees on payroll on 23 September 2020, who were made redundant or stopped working afterwards, can be re-employed and claimed for.

Job Support Scheme

• Postponed until further notice.

Job Retention Bonus

• This will not be paid in February as originally announced – UK Government will redeploy a retention incentive at an appropriate time.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

• The overall level of grant available will cover 80% of trading profits from November to January (to a cap of £7,500) and the window for claiming will open sooner than planned.
• We will circulate a separate email with further details of this as details are made available.

Guarantee Loan Schemes

• Bounce Back Loan, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, Future Fund and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme application deadlines are extended to the end of January 2021.
• Businesses who have borrowed less than the maximum available to them through the Bounce Back Loan scheme will be able to top up their existing loan.

We have linked throughout this document to the relevant GOV.UK pages for the support schemes mentioned, although note that much of the guidance has yet to be updated. As we are made aware that guidance is updated and schemes are opened to new claims, we will let you know.

As ever, you can find all the latest information we have on the COVID-19 Support Updates section of the Chamber website.

Following a motion put forward by the Caithness Committee, today Highland Councillors have given their commitment to continue to work to secure the sustainability of Wick John O’Groats Airport and to press for Public Service Obligation (PSO) status as a matter of urgency.

Wick has had commercial services from its airport since the 1970s, with services connecting to Edinburgh and Aberdeen. In its 50 years of operation the Airport has been instrumental in supporting the economic growth of the north, first through Dounreay and the oil and gas industry, and latterly to the decommissioning journey and the positioning of Caithness at the forefront of onshore and offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. It also plays a role in the wider business and tourism sectors.

In her speech, Chair of the Caithness Committee Cllr Nicola Sinclair highlighted the work done to prepare a strong business case and stressed that to be truly focused on socio-economic recovery it is vital that the doors of the Airport remain open.

She said: “Caithness Chamber of Commerce and other local stakeholders took early action and commissioned a detailed, independent feasibility study in 2019 which was then worked up into a full business case. This asks the Scottish Government to consider a dual-route public service obligation to protect our services to Edinburgh and Aberdeen which we believe is a sustainable model.

“A PSO would require an annual subsidy of £3m over four years, but it’s projected to deliver £5.2m in economic benefit and up to 46,000 passengers per year by year four. The Airport is a catalyst for 400-600 local jobs as well as 60 directly employed at the Airport. It’s therefore critical to the economic prosperity of the region that we secure the investment from the Scottish Government for a PSO.”

Transport Scotland has made it clear that any PSO would need to be supported by Highland Council and other stakeholders. For this reason, members of the Caithness Committee today called on Highland Council to identify financial support for the Airport.

Cllr Sinclair explained: “We are asking the Council to continue with its efforts in exploring the resource implications of a successful PSO bid. Any support from the Council would need to go through the usual process of scrutiny and democratic approval with a full business case being presented to a future Highland Council meeting.

“Today we asked for that process to begin in earnest and to reflect the urgency of the situation. In the motion to Caithness Area Committee I made the point that socio-economic recovery and reversing population decline are key priorities for our county, and that cannot be achieved without a show of confidence in Caithness and positive decisive action.

She added: “I am delighted that today we got unanimous support and we can now send a clear a message to the Scottish Government that we are united in our support for Wick John O’Groats Airport and the ongoing prosperity of Caithness and Sutherland.”

Caithness Councillor Struan Mackie who joined Cllr Sinclair in signing the motion presented to full council added: “Over the last number of months it has been refreshing to be part of a cross community campaign, with stakeholders, businesses groups and individuals all seeking a solution in resuming flights from Wick.

“After years of progressive market failure in providing regular and convenient services from the airport, it is clear that the public service obligation is the only option left on the table. The support given by Councillors today is a step forward in seeing this come to fruition.”

On the publication of the strategic framework for Scotland on Covid-19 from the Scottish Government, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:

“We cannot stress enough how essential it is that businesses have as much clarity on restrictions on trading as is possible, so we welcome this new strategic framework which gives businesses an opportunity to begin re-opening the economy. The Scottish Government must continue publishing evidence-led data alongside restrictions.

“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government to communicate how the vast majority of businesses are continuing to invest in delivering safe environments for customers and employees.

“It is in the best interests of the people of Scotland that businesses are trusted to trade in order to avoid the worst outcomes of widespread joblessness and economic decline.

“The support available for business will be essential as restrictions continue and we urge governments to ensure it is allocated efficiently and effectively over the coming weeks and months.

“Governments also need to focus on ramping up test and trace programs so that they are available in every business premises and in every airport in Scotland.’’

The Scottish Government has today published its draft Strategic Framework for suppressing COVID-19, including details of the new tiered approach to restrictions and the business support that they are proposing to make available.

The full document can be downloaded here. It will be debated in Parliament on Tuesday 27 October and if passed will come into force on 2 November.

We will be liaising with colleagues in Scottish Chambers to provide feedback to Scottish Government as soon as possible, and would appreciate any feedback you have as members to enable this.

We have attempted to briefly summarise the key points of the document as follows:

The “Four Harms” Approach

The overall approach to this new framework aims to tackle the four harms of COVID-19:

• Suppress the virus, protecting against direct harm to health
• Support broader health and social care services
• Mitigate social harms
• Support the economy and protect against impact on business

New Protection Levels

Scottish Government has laid out five different protection levels, where Level 0 is broadly similar to the measures in place over the summer, and Level 4 is a return to something approaching full lockdown measures.

Full details of what the measures mean for different sectors and services can be found in Annex 1 to the Framework, and these can be very roughly summarised as follows:

• Levels 0 / 1 – most businesses allowed to open and operate with limited restrictions; work from home to remain default; some level of indoor and in-home socialising possible
• Levels 2 / 3 – many businesses allowed to open and operate with stricter restrictions; some close contact services not permitted; no in-home socialising and tighter restrictions on indoor activities
• Level 4 – essential businesses and services only; some outdoor workplaces, manufacturing and construction permitted; no in-home or indoor socialising permitted

Specific tables for what activities are permitted in hospitality settings under each level can be found in Annex 2 to the Framework.

Proposed Support for Businesses

The Scottish Government is proposing to deliver the following support to businesses affected by the new restrictions, regardless of level:

• A grant of £2,000 or £3,000 (depending on rateable value) for businesses required to close by law, payable every four weeks for the duration protective measures are in place
• A hardship grant of £1,400 or £2100 (depending on rateable value) for businesses that remain open but are specifically required to modify their operations by protective measures, payable every four weeks for the duration measures are in place

Scottish Government expects that this support will be complemented by additional support from UK Government, for example via the Job Support Scheme (details of which we will be circulating shortly).

As ever, as we receive updates to this information, details of support available to businesses, or any further guidance or support of use to our members, we will endeavour to pass this information on as soon as possible.

Both the Scottish and UK Governments have, in the past two days, announced changes and updates to existing support packages to help businesses affected by the new COVID-19 restrictions. This is a fast-moving situation and we anticipate further changes coming when the Scottish Government announces further details of its tiered restrictions, but in the interim thought it would be helpful to summarise what we know so far.

COVID-19 Business Hardship Fund

• For businesses that may remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, the maximum hardship fund grant will increase to £2,155.
• All grants will be administered by local authorities. The increase will be automatic and businesses that have already applied for a grant will not have to re-apply.
• The upper limit for those applying for multiple premises has been increased to £14,000.

You can check eligibility and apply via the Highland Council (note that their page has not been updated with the new figures as of this email).

Job Support Scheme

• Employer contribution for unworked hours reduced from 33% to 5%, with Government contribution increasing to 61.67% (to a maximum of £1541.75 per month)
• Minimum working hours requirement for employees reduced from 33% to 20%

Further details can be found in today’s announcement by the Chancellor.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

• The amount of profits covered will increase from 20% to 40%, with the maximum grant increasing from £1,875 to £3,750

Details of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant extension can be found on GOV.UK.

We understand that Scottish Government will be introducing a new system of business support to complement their new “levels” approach to localised restrictions. As soon as we have details of this and what will be available to Chamber members, we will let you know.

On the announcement by the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak of changes to the UK Government’s business support package to support businesses affected by health restrictions, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“The UK Chancellor’s new business grant and job support scheme extension will be absolutely necessary to the survival of many businesses as Covid-19 restrictions are set to be in place indefinitely. The boost to the self-employed grant will be welcomed by many who have been at risk of not receiving the support that they need.

“Chambers of Commerce in Scotland & the UK have been campaigning for greater support for businesses experiencing big falls in demand as a result of new restrictions, and a number of the steps announced today, including the lowering of employer contributions and the number of hours worked needed to qualify for the jobs support scheme, respond directly to our calls.

“As the Scottish Government is set to confirm its own approach to a tiered system of restrictions, it is essential that consequential funding is delivered to where it is needed most to save jobs. This must also be tied to every stage of restriction as a matter of course and not in incremental, repeated tweaks.

“It is clear that this winter will be extremely difficult for employers, their employees and a sustained approach to jobs support into 2021 is critical.’’

Following the statement by the First Minister earlier today to Parliament where she outlined details on how and when businesses can access support from the new COVID-19 Restrictions Fund, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:

“As always, speed and cash out the door is critical if we are to have any chance of saving jobs. It will have been 10 days from when we were forced to close and send our employees home that this support will be available.

“To be clear, business environments are safe places. They should be allowed to trade while protecting staff and customers. If further restrictions are imposed then government must ensure that financial support is in place immediately and at the right level.

“Further details of how to apply for these funds have now been published and we urge those businesses who have been affected to apply as soon as application processes are open for the new funds.”