As the area's official tourist board, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is committed to representing the tourism industry throughout this unprecedented situation. We are here to support you and will keep you informed with sector-specific updates. Please keep checking this page for the latest information.

Last updated: 30/09/2020

Latest Government announcements

We are pleased to share a summary of the next phase of Government support as well as the latest guidance to help you run your business.

Last week the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced new measures in his Winter Economy plan, the next phase in the Government’s support for businesses and the economy. This included help for the hospitality and tourism sectors, which he described as “two of our most affected sectors”.

Key announcements include a new Jobs Support Scheme, extending the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and 15% VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors until March 2021, and help for businesses in repaying government-backed loans.

Tax cuts and deferrals

• The VAT reduction from 20% to 5% for the hospitality and tourism sectors will be extended until the end of March 2021.
• Businesses who deferred their VAT will no longer have to pay a lump sum at the end of March next year. They will have the option of splitting it into smaller, interest free payments over the course of 11 months next financial year.
• Self-assessed income tax payers who need extra help can now benefit from a 12-month extension on the “Time to Pay” self-service facility, meaning payments deferred from July 2020, and those due in January 2021, will now not need to be paid until January 2022.

New Jobs Support Scheme
The furlough scheme will not be extended. Instead a new six-month Jobs Support Scheme will start in November:

• The Government will directly support the wages of people in viable work. Businesses facing reduced demand can avoid making employees redundant by keeping them on shorter hours.
• The employee will work at least a third of their normal hours paid by the employer.
• For the hours not worked, the government and the employer will each pay one third of their equivalent salary.
• The level of grant will be calculated based on employee’s usual salary, capped at £697.92 per month.
• All SMEs are eligible for the scheme, but larger firms can apply too if their turnover is affected by coronavirus.
• Employers that are retaining furlough staff on shorter hours can claim both the Job Support Scheme and the Jobs Retention bonus.

Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant (SEISS)

• SEISS will be extended on similar terms as the new Job Support Scheme.
• An initial taxable grant will be provided to those who are currently eligible for SEISS and are continuing to actively trade but face reduced demand due to coronavirus.
• The initial lump sum will cover three months’ worth of profits for the period from November to the end of January 2021, worth 20% of average monthly profits, up to a total of £1,875.
• An additional second grant to cover the period from February 2021 to the end of April – this may be adjusted to respond to changing circumstances.

Government-backed loans
A new Pay as you Grow repayment system will provide flexibility for firms repaying a Bounce Back Loan. This includes:

• Extending repayments from 6 to 10 years.
• Interest-only payments.
• Suspending repayments for up to 6 months if needed.

Credit ratings won’t be affected.

The Government has said it intends to give Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme lenders the ability to extend the length of loans from a maximum of six years to ten years if it will help businesses to repay the loan.

The application deadline for all coronavirus loan schemes – including the future fund - has been extended to 30 November. 

Click here for details on the Government's Winter Economic Plan.

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As of Thursday 24 September measures including the following have been introduced: 

• pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, except for takeaways;
• hospitality venues must close at 10pm (which means closing, not last orders). The same will apply to takeaways, although deliveries can continue;
• the requirement to wear face coverings will be extended to include retail staff and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink; and
• covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations in retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors.

Furthermore, from Monday 28 September a maximum of 15 people may attend weddings, while 30 may attend funerals. Business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events will not be reopened from 1 October.

These new measures will be enforced by tighter penalties. Guidance on the additional measures will be made available on Gov.uk.

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New regulations for hospitality businesses and venues to enforce the rule of 6, NHS QR code posters and contact logs

The Government has announced that from today, 18 September, hospitality venues in England are legally required to enforce the rule of 6 or face a fine of up to £4,000. Also from today these venues will also be legally required to log details of customers, visitors and staff for NHS Test and Trace and from Thursday 24 September they will be required to display official NHS QR code posters under law ahead of the NHS COVID-19 app being rolled out nationally on 24 September. 

Services included in the new legal requirements are: 

• Hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
• Tourism and leisure, including gyms, swimming pools, hotels, museums, cinemas, zoos and theme parks 
• Close contact services
• Facilities provided by local authorities, including town halls and civic centres (for events), libraries and children’s centres  

Further details:

• From 18 September, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants in England will now need to take bookings of no more than 6 people, ensure people are not meeting in groups of more than 6 people on their premises, and make sure there is sufficient space between tables.
• The regulations will be enforced by Local Authorities, who will have the power to issue fines of up to £1,000 for venues that are failing to comply, or the police as a last resort. Fines will rise to up to £4,000 for repeat offenders.
• Businesses will be expected to make sure their customers are aware of the rules around QR codes by displaying posters and speaking to customers directly.
• It will be an offence for a business to fail to adhere to the rule of 6 (respecting all exceptions to this) when taking a booking, allowing entry to a group of more than 6 people. Once groups are within the premises, businesses also risk offending if they fail to advise groups not to merge in ways that breach the rules. 
• Businesses will also need to ensure adequate distance between tables (2m or 1m+) and prevent customers from dancing.
• If individuals choose to check-in using the NHS COVID-19 app QR code poster they do not need to log in via any other route.
• Information should be collected by the venue for those people that have not checked-in using the QR poster.

Businesses can create their coronavirus NHS QR code here.

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On behalf of everyone at Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, we thank you for your ongoing support through these challenging times. We are working hard on your behalf to ensure that your voice is heard. Our phone lines are open and we are responding to emails from members as quickly as possible. You can contact us at 01246 212924, industry@marketingpdd.com or find the contact details for individual members of the team here.

Please do keep us updated so we can inform high-level decision-makers of the unprecedented issues the tourism industry is facing. Keep sharing your experiences in the coming weeks, as it all helps to inform our planning and influencing on your behalf.

It has never been more important to work together and we'd like to also invite you to join our Coronavirus Impact Forum, where businesses can share and discuss issues relating to the Covid-19 outbreak in private.

The information below is intended to help answer some of your key questions and signpost you to the latest official guidance.

For more details relating to the coronavirus outbreak see frequently-asked questions, the latest public information and the official Government guidelines.

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Apply for your 'We're Good To Go' mark today

VisitBritain has launched a UK-wide industry standard that will provide a ‘ring of confidence’ for tourism businesses.
The ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard and supporting mark means businesses can demonstrate that they are adhering to the respective Government and public health guidance and have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment - providing reassurance to visitors that they have put the necessary measures in place.
The scheme is free to join and we're encouraging all tourism and hospitality businesses to apply. For more information on the industry standard mark and how to apply, click here.

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Back our Tourism Industry Petition

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire has joined with local MP Robert Largan and a host of Destination Management Organisations from across the country to back a nationwide campaign encouraging government to ensure the tourism sector is supported through Winter 2020.

The coronavirus crisis has had a devastating impact on the Peak District and Derbyshire’s £2.3 billion visitor economy, and without a winter package of long-term financial support, many businesses and associated jobs will simply not survive.

Please click here to sign our petition.

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Coronavirus Guidance & Support

• Recovery Hub

• Workshops & Webinars

• Business Support, Funding & Grants

• Latest Industry Updates & Research

• VisitEngland Business Advice Hub

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Watch our past workshops and webinars

• Legal Webinar (9 April)
• Financial Webinar (16 April)
• Crisis Management, Planning & Recovery Webinar (30 April, password: 8g&cH2i)
• Recovery Planning Webinar (12 May)
• Business Grants Webinar (22 May)
• Recovery Planning Webinar (28 May)
• Optimising Selling Experiences (3 June)
• Peak District & Derbyshire Towns & Business Forum (4 June)
• Social Media for the Visitor Economy Webinar (11 June)
• Visitor Economy Recovery Q&A with Cllr Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council (12 June)
• Getting Ready to Reopen for Business (18 June)
• Cleaning and Hygiene Practices for the Visitor Economy (19 June)
• VisitBritain Industry Standard 'We're Good To Go' Webinar (25 June)
• Make the most out of your Website Advertising on visitpeakdistrict.com (9 July)
• Legal Webinar: Flexible Furlough & Latest Legal Guidelines (16 July)