FOCUS ON GREENWICH

SUPPORTING LOCAL HIGH

STREETS to reopen

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is running a Shop Local campaign to encourage local people to visit and shop at their local high streets to support non-essential shops as they are allowed to reopen.

The Council has commissioned a specialist business support organisation, Retail Revival, to talk to retail businesses across the borough to get their views on what will help their recovery. Retail Revival will present their findings to the Council which will help to inform the Shop Local campaign. If you are a Royal Greenwich based retail business tell us what support you think the Council could provide.

Email: Shoplocal@royalgreenwich.gov.uk Royal Greenwich Street Eats

From the 12 April onwards, Royal Greenwich will be launching Street Eats, places where residents will be able to enjoy food and drinks purchased from their favourite participating pubs and restaurants. Locations will pop up around the borough when hospitality businesses can reopen for outdoor dining. As part of the launch of Street Eats locations, the Council has also helped fast track pavement licences and waived the costs for businesses serving food and drink so they can have tables and chairs outside their premises alfresco-style.

www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/streeteats

❛❛I wanted to send this email as a BIG Thank-you to you and the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the amazing grant that I received yesterday.❜❜

Backing hospitality businesses

The Council has been backing its hospitality businesses with a life raft of grants ringfenced specifically for pubs, restaurants, bars, cafés, and hotels in the borough. The Restart Grants available from April will allow the Council to support businesses that supply the hospitality sector such as caterers, photographers, and musicians who rely heavily on the events and hospitality sector. It is critical these supply chain businesses are up and running to support the wider sector with reopening. This follows the Hospitality Recovery Grant (HRG) which the Council launched on 25 February which made up to £3million available in grants for businesses whose core business is serving customers seated to eat and drink in their premises. The HRG built on the 560 businesses the Council has already helped across a range of sectors with £4.4 million worth of Additional Restrictions Grants administered on behalf of the Government since last November. These have been helping closed businesses that didn’t qualify for other grant schemes or businesses that could remain open but have been adversely impacted by the national restrictions. Across all grant schemes being managed by the Council, 9,000 grant payments have already been made to businesses totalling over £20 million. Quotes from business owners who have been helped with an Additional Restrictions Grant. “I can’t believe it I actually got the grant, couldn’t have come at a better time first 2 months have been tough.” “I wanted to say thank you so much for your help with this. We have now received all of our Covid Grant and we are SO grateful. This will make a really big difference.” “I wanted to send this email as a BIG Thank-you to you and the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the amazing grant that I received yesterday.”

Supply chain contract wins by Royal Greenwich businesses

First Choice Caribbean Hut, a BAME and female-led catering company in Royal Greenwich, is just one of borough’s home-grown businesses that has received practical support to successfully bid for a contract via the Building Legacies programme. East London Business Place (ELBP) helped First Choice Caribbean Hut with its costings and tender submission to provide healthy and nutritious breakfast hampers for children entitled to free school meals over the school holidays. Building Legacies is delivered by ELBP and Newham College of Further Education’s Centre for Innovation & Partnerships and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. If you think your business would benefit from understanding how procurement processes work and how to apply for contracts please contact: Business@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

What can the Council do for your business?

In Royal Greenwich, professional advice is available on many aspects of running your business from tendering for contracts to recruitment and marketing. We also run an e-business support programme to help businesses reach their potential online which includes free workshops and seminars. To keep up to date with our latest business news sign up to receive our newsletter directly in your inbox:

royalgreenwich.gov.uk/businessnewsletter

Find out about all the advice and support we can offer your business by visiting our website: www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/ businesssupport