Dear member,

It’s been a little while since our last more formal update. Hopefully though you are all OK with the regular updates we’re sending through and our other activities, including our first ever Twitter Hour.

With regards to our ongoing conversations with government, we wanted to share with members our current agenda, and invite you to add to it. We hope the following best represents the many different issues members are tackling right now, but please do let us know if there are even obvious omissions. There is a lot going on out there.

• The grant scheme; when will it be paid and will event companies be include (at the moment government website are yet to refer to events specifically)
• Access to banks to apply for CBIL; at present there is a real black hole of communication
• Confirmation that the rates relief scheme will be 100% throughout the UK and not 75% as indicated by Scottish Government
• Furloughed workers scheme to be ready by end of April though salaries paid on 28th ; funding needs to be in place
• Workers who joined companies after 28th February must be included as this is when seasonal event staff are employed
• Funds to be made available for self-employed before end of April
• Cashflow to be available to companies now as they have no deposits arriving
• There needs to be an appeals process for any businesses that feel they have unfairly been turned down access to financial support
• Deferral of PAYE payments (like VAT) without having to call and work out scheme; it is hard to commit to a payment schedule when you have no idea when you will be able to operate again and have no funds
• Immediate and urgent need for cash to service wages and debt; many companies don’t want to take on a loan as ultimately it is repayable over two or three years, no one knows what next year will be like, too many organisers going out of business.
• A £25K or £30K a month grant (not repayable) to all business with t/o under £10m; will work out cheaper for the government as there will be companies going into liquidation before the governments guarantee has lapsed

Thanks for the continued supply of information, and also some of the many stories, both positive and heart-breaking, that you are sending us. We are reading them all and they help bring more urgency to the conversations we are having.

We’ll continues to fight for you and this industry as best we can.

Best regards

NOEA