Keep up to date with the latest public information and advice regarding the virus at the Gov.uk website.
Support for North Tyneside’s voluntary and community sector
While we have temporarily suspended face-to-face meetings, we can still offer advice and support to charities and voluntary and community sector organisations in North Tyneside. We have lots of valuable information on our website, so please explore this and see below for resources around COVID-19. If you need specific advice, please contact our Development Manager (but please be aware that this is an incredibly busy time for VODA and responses may take longer than usual).
Funding Advice
We have produced a COVID-19 Funding section of our website for general advice and the latest opportunities. Again, while face-to-face funding advice is currently suspended, we can still offer email and telephone support to North Tyneside voluntary and community groups and organisations. Please contact our Funding Adviser for more information (but please be aware that this is an incredibly busy time for VODA and responses may take longer than usual).
Training
VODA is working to support the North Tyneside VCS through its recovery from the pandemic. Part of this will involve online training such as PPE, Zoom Clinics, Risk Assessment and Making Your Community Building COVID Secure. Available videos and slides from past sessions will be shown below. Find out about our upcoming courses here.
Some Covid restrictions lifted as part of the Spring Roadmap
On the 12 April, England moved to Step 2 of the Government’s Spring Roadmap out of lockdown.
What’s changed?
- on-essential retail can reopen
- personal care services such as hairdressers and nail salons can reopen, including those provided from a mobile setting
- public buildings such as libraries and community centres can reopen
- outdoor hospitality venues can reopen, with table service only
- most outdoor attractions including zoos, theme parks, and drive-in performances (such as cinemas and concerts) can reopen
- some smaller outdoor events such as fetes, literary fairs, and fairgrounds can take place
- indoor leisure and sports facilities can reopen for individual exercise, or exercise with your household or support bubble
- all childcare and supervised activities are allowed indoors (as well as outdoors) for all children. Parent and child groups can take place indoors (as well as outdoors) for up to 15 people (children under 5 will not be counted in this number)
- weddings, civil partnership ceremonies, wakes and other commemorative events can take place for up to 15 people (anyone working is not included in this limit), including in indoor venues that are permitted to open or where an exemption applies. Wedding receptions can also take place for up to 15 people, but must take place outdoors, not including private gardens
- self-contained accommodation can stay open for overnight stays in England with your household or support bubble
- care home residents will be able to nominate two named individuals for regular indoor visits (following a rapid lateral flow test)
- you should continue to work from home if you can and minimise the amount that you travel where possible
The next anticipated change will be on 17 May, should the Government’s criteria be met.
Financial Support Available
To support businesses with paying employees’ wages, it had been announced that the Job Retention Scheme (furlough) will be extended from 5 November until September 2021. More information about this scheme can be found here
Grant Support
Local Restrictions Support Grants
North Tyneside Council are currently delivering National Lockdown grants, on behalf of Government for the period 16 Feb – 31 Mar 2021 (extension of National Lockdown 3 payments).
These grants are to support businesses with fixed commercial property costs which have been legally forced to close during the various periods below, and those in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors (or supplying businesses in these sectors) that were severely impacted by local restrictions and/or national lockdowns.
Applications for the Local Restrictions Support Grant payment from 15 February to 31 March will remain open until 31 May 2021.
More information can be found here
Restart Grants
In the March 2021 budget, the Government announced the provision of further funding to support businesses through Restart Grants.
North Tyneside Council are in the process of contacting eligible businesses using the information held for the Local Restrictions Support Grants to confirm trading status, and additional information we may require.
More information can be found here
Additional Restrictions Grant
The North Tyneside Additional Restrictions Grant is aimed at supporting businesses with fixed costs that are severely impacted by the pandemic; and are not eligible for the existing Local Restrictions Support Grants, Additional Restrictions Grant non-ratepayers and supply chain or Additional Restrictions Grant for Taxi Drivers.
More information can be found here
Support for the self employed
The UK government recognises the continued impact that coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on the self-employed and announced in November that there would be a fourth grant.
At the Budget it was confirmed that the fourth SEISS grant will be set at 80% of 3 months’ average trading profits, paid out in a single instalment, capped at £7,500. The fourth grant will take into account 2019 to 2020 tax returns and will be open to those who became self-employed in tax year 2019 to 2020. The rest of the eligibility criteria remain unchanged.
Your eligibility for the scheme will now be based on your submitted 2019 to 2020 tax return. This may also affect the amount of the fourth grant which could be higher or lower than previous grants you may have received.
Further information can be found here
View all of the funding on the North Tyneside Council website.
Enquiries: business@northtyneside.gov.uk
Read more here and keep up to date with the latest information from the North Tyneside Business Forum.
Government Guidance
- New GOV.UK guide: ‘Volunteering during Covid-19’
- Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
- New package to support and enforce self-isolation
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Meeting with others safely (social distancing)
- GOV.UK: COVID-19 guidance for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations
- GOV.UK: Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for the charity sector
- COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities
- Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus (COVID-19)
- COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings outside the home
- Collecting customer and visitor details for contact tracing
- Working safely during coronavirus
- Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) (Shops and Branches)
- Coronavirus travel corridors
- Protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs, and other out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Resources to support COVID-19 safe reopening and operation
- North Tyneside Faith Communities COVID-19 Briefing 27 August 2020: VODA and North Tyneside Council hosted a Zoom event aimed at local faith communities to make sure they have access to the latest COVID-19 information and guidance so that they can operate safely, protecting their staff, worshippers and community, and remain within the law. You can view a video of the event here. Please note, due to a small issue with the recording, the slides do not display correctly on the video. You can view the full presentation slides here. Also available is the Guidance for Faith Communities.
- Managing Staff As They Return To Work 12 August 2020: Peter Earley from Ethical Human Resources talked through some things to consider when managing staff as they return from furlough. You can download the slides here.
- Making Your Community Building ‘COVID Secure’ 9 July 2020: VODA and North Tyneside Council hosted an event on how to ensure you keep your community building COVID secure when reopening. You can download the slides for the presentation here and view the supporting guidance from North Tyneside Council Workplace and Public Buildings Recovery Standard.
- PPE and managing Covid risk 26 June 2020: VODA recently hosted an online workshop on PPE and managing Covid risk in the workplace with North Tyneside Council. Watch the video of the session below and download the slides here.
- CRA publishes new Covid-19 Operational Guide
- COVID-19 Re-opening safely: A guide for charity trustees in England and Wales from the Chartered Governance Institute.
- ACRE has produced new guidance – The 4 step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown as applied to Village and Community Halls
- A Guide for Community Buildings – Life After Lockdown. This guide from Durham Community Action looks at what trustees can do now towards recovery planning and start to consider what measures will need to be in place for a safe reopening when services can be delivered once again.
- A Practical Guide to Re-Opening after Covid Closedown from the Cranfield Trust.
- Risk Assessment planning information for opening a community building from Connected Voice (our equivalent covering Newcastle/Gateshead). (Please note, they won’t be able to provide advice to North Tyneside based charities but the information should still be useful).
- HSE: talking with your workers about preventing coronavirus. A guide aimed at all employers that explains how you can talk to your workers about preventing coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace. It gives guidance on reducing the risks from coronavirus, for example by putting in place social distancing measures, staggering shifts and providing additional handwashing facilities.
- Supporting your staff, volunteers and beneficiaries and keeping safe during coronavirus. This guide from NCVO provides information on protecting and supporting the people working in your charity or voluntary organisation, and those who use your services during the coronavirus outbreak.
- Coronavirus/COVID-19: Guidance for Community Transport. The Community Transport Association (CTA) has developed detailed guidance on how to restart and sustain your community transport services as lockdown measures ease.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Fundraising key principles guidance. The Fundraising Regulator, in collaboration with Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive, has produced guidance to highlight the issues for consideration when adapting the way your organisation fundraises as lockdown measures are eased.
- Coronavirus recovery – six data protection steps for organisations. The ICO has set out the key steps organisations need to consider around the use of personal information.
- The Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute of Fundraising:
- The National Youth Agency (NYA) has developed sector specific advice and guidance for managing youth sector activities and spaces during COVID-19.
- Sport England: Guidance on sports clubs reopening.
- The NHS COVID-19 app will be available nationally across England & Wales on 24 September. Businesses can now download NHS Test and Trace QR codes at gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster and help stop the spread of the virus.
- The Health & Safety Executive is warning that if you run premises, you have a duty to protect people by identifying and controlling risks associated with legionella.
Useful COVID-19 Links and Resources
Charity specific advice and guidance:
- The Charity Commission:
- The Centre for Aging Better has launched a new guide to help community organisations future-proof their volunteer base in the wake of COVID-19.
- VONNE is collating all of the online training and events
- The Small Charities Coalition COVID advice page
- NCVO advice for your organisation
- The Institute of Fundraising COVID-19 advice and guidance
- The Cranfield Trust free, high level business support to charities in North East
- COVID 19 Charity Preparedness Group Facebook Group
- GLT Partners free webinars, support and advice
- European Structural and Investment Funds: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
- NAVCA VCSE Resource page
- Charity Digital free webinars
General advice and guidance:
- North Tyneside Council:
- Notify cases of COVID-19 that come to your attention via the Local Outbreak Action Card
- NHS Coronavirus Information
- Healthwatch North Tyneside Service information hub
- The Children’s Commissioner Coronavirus, children and you
- Live Transcribe lip reading app – works even with masks. View demo here.
- Public Health England face covering exemption toolkit
- Guidelines for re-opening of playground equipment
- Dealing with a positive COVID-19 case: Toolkit for Mosques, Madrasas and Community Centres
Advice and guidance for non English speakers
- Doctors of the World:
- West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health Care Partnership: Advice during pregnancy – knowing the risks and taking care of yourself – particularly for women from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background
- COVID-19 Infographics: infographics to help summarise key points about COVID-19 in a variety of languages to get the right information, in an easy to understand format, to these communities.
- Newcastle City Council has produced videos in different languages with a range of medical practitioners from Newcastle’s Hospitals to support Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities through COVID restrictions.
- Test and Trace – A guide to test and trace is available in multiple languages. Click on the language below to access the guides: Arabic / Bengali / Chinese / English
/ Farsi / French / Hindi / Italian / Korean / Kurdish / Pashto / Persian / Polish / Portuguese / Somali / Spanish / Tamil / Urdu
