Town Centre Footfall Trends: week commencing 22nd June 2020
The Springboard counter shows that there are still more people in town than there were during lockdown.
In the week beginning Monday 15th June, footfall was up 51% on the last week of lockdown.
In the week beginning Monday 22nd June, footfall remained steady. By the end of the week, footfall was still 50% higher than the last week of lockdown. However, compared with the same week in 2019, footfall was down by 37%.
This suggests that the initial confidence in going back to the town centre is being maintained, but not necessarily increasing just yet.
The “One Metre Plus” guidance: What does it mean for you?
The recent announcement from government regarding the 2 metre social distancing guidance was a tad confusing.
ADC Environmental Health have clarified that:
“The 2m social distancing rule remains, however 1m plus can be used where 2m cannot be achieved.
What this means in practice is that businesses should try to achieve 2m wherever they can, however if this cannot be achieved 1m plus other forms of mitigation should be used. The types of mitigation are listed in the sector guidance and include, screening, increasing ventilation, limiting time in contact, layouts which ensure people are not face to face and so on.”
There. That all makes perfect sense now …..
Reopening of more businesses: Saturday 4th July
We are all looking forward to the reopening of more businesses on 4th July, and hope it goes well for you. Please ensure you have followed the government guidance for your sector and carried out a risk assessment for your business. Once you have done this, you should print off the “Covid 19 Secure” Notice accessed through the online documents.
Government Guidance materials for each sector can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
We are mindful that not all businesses are able to reopen yet, and our biggest hope is that the next phase progresses safely and smoothly, and we can see all of you back in operation at the earliest opportunity.
Pavement Licences:
Last Thursday the Government announced relaxations to planning and licensing laws to help the hospitality industry recover from the coronavirus lockdown.
The Business and Planning Bill proposes to make it easier for premises serving food and drink such as bars, restaurants and pubs to seat and serve customers outdoors through temporary changes to planning procedures, alcohol and pavement licensing. The Bill still needs to get Royal Assent before it can go into effect, and it is thought this will happen later this week.
This new “Pavement Licence” will be managed by ADC, and they are working on getting everything in place to be able to accept and determine applications. You cannot apply for a licence just yet – I’ll let you know as soon as any further information is released.
Please note that It won’t be possible to permit tables and chairs in all locations and the highways must be unobstructed, including for wheelchair users and those who are visually impaired.
You must have a licence to place chairs and tables outside your business premises – please don’t use the pavement if you don’t have a licence.
Covid-19 Secure: Suppliers
We’ve set up a list of local and national suppliers on the BID Website: https://tinyurl.com/yarw32yl
We’ve also been contacted recently by a number of organisations offering services / information specific to businesses reopening on 4th July:
Keeping GDPR compliant records of customers: https://www.pubhealth.co.uk/
Published government guidance says businesses should keep records that can be passed onto the NHS. The creators state that their system is designed to “help you avoid needing to use pen and paper and remove the admin burden from your staff.”
Link to Safer Business checklist: https://tinyurl.com/ybz4xz2b
The Safer Business Network have produced a really helpful checklist that all businesses might find useful. The checklist has been produced with the assistance of a range of partners, including the Metropolitan Police Service (Central Licensing and Counter Terrorism) and the Security Industry Authority.
Please note that it does not replace government guidance, which must be your primary resource in all “Covid-19 Secure” preparation you’re undertaking.
Rail advice for businesses:
GTR have released important information for employers. You can find full details here:
Government Guidance: Updates / New Releases:
Please find below the recent documents issued by the government since Friday that (in my opinion) are most applicable to BID Businesses.
There were around 50 documents issued in this time period, and it’s very possible that I’ve missed something that’s directly relevant to you. If you’d like to receive all the daily updates directly from the government, you can subscribe at: https://www.gov.uk/email-signup?topic=/coronavirus-taxon
Destroying spoilt beer, cider, wine or made-wine during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Rules that have been relaxed to help businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic: It’s worth checking to see if there’s anything you may have missed that could be beneficial:
Government unveils £200 million package to help innovative businesses bounce back
COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of places of worship from 4 July
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on the phased return of sport and recreation
Guidance for the public, providers of outdoor sport facilities, elite athletes, personal trainers and coaches on the phased return of sport and recreation.
You can contact us by email: info@brbid.org, by phone: 07917 692690 or through Zoom meeting software. The software is free to download and works across a wide range of platforms – phones, tablets, PC’s, Macs. If you’d like a virtual face to face, please invite: heather@brbid.org
Heather Allen, BR BID Co-Ordinator