£1bn in support for businesses impacted by Omicron

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 21 December 2021 a series of measures to help businesses most affected by the Omicron variant:

• Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100m discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses
• The Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for COVID-19 related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK
• A further £30m will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter

These measures will come into effect immediately and we will closely monitor whether any further support packages will be provided by the Government.

For further guidance please speak with your normal haysmacintyre contact.