Covid-19 lock-down business news update 26 May 2020.
26 May 2020.
James Salmon, Operations Director.
The Covid-19 lock-down continues and we are having to make do in a new normal.
Here are CPA we want to share the business news stories we have seen that we think will affect our members and readers. Many of us are busy fighting to protect our businesses and therefore might have missed some of the news that could impact small businesses, their owners and those that sell on credit.
Covid-19 general news
Despite being shown not to follow lock-down rules while showing symptoms of covid-19 and travelling to family in the North-East, top government advisor Dominic Cummings still has the backing of the PM and refuses to re-sign.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday evening that car dealers and outdoor markets can restart on 1st June and non-essential retailers will be allowed to open 15th June.
A study into hydroxychloroquine showed that covid-19 patients who took it had a higher risk of dying than those who did not. President Donald Trump has said he has been taking the antimalarial drug as protection against covid-19. The study published in the Lancet, involved 96,000 patients from around the world.
On Friday Downing Street revealed plans for the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to potentially travel to the US next month to meet President Donald Trump for the G7 summit. The summit was originally cancelled.
Markets.
The FTSE fell on Friday, following asian markets as tensions rose over new security laws in Hong Kong. However after falling over 2%, the market recovered to end the day down only .4%. European stocks were slightly up. Given the rising tensions between the US and China, some will be surpised to see markets brush off the concerns and be in positive territory today. However positive news on Covid seems to be driving sentiment despite warnings of a possibel second wave.
Oil prices continue to rise as output cuts look to hold while more cars get back on the road as lockdowns ease. While gold also climbed as investors sought a safe haven from the US-china tensions.
Business urged to avoid ‘destructive’ COVID-19 disputes
Fresh guidance from the government urges businesses to negotiate or seek mediation in contract disputes relating to COVID-19 before heading to court in a move designed to encourage “responsible and fair behaviour”.
National debt
The Government borrowed £62 billion in April, the highest monthly figure on record, £51 billion more than in April 2019. This was the massive cost of moving a huge proportion of the workforce onto the government payroll with the furlough programme alone costing £14 billion.
Office for National Statistics data also show the national debt climbed to £1,887.6bn, or 97.7% of GDP – up from 80.3% in April last year.
April’s borrowing is the highest monthly figure since records began in 1993 and almost equals borrowing for the entire last financial year.
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said: “With little prospect of a swift return this year towards pre-crisis levels of economic activity, we expect borrowing to total £340bn, 17.5% of GDP, over 2020-21.”
Richest nations face $17tn government debt burden from coronavirus
The OECD estimates that the increase in public debt among its members as a result of covid-19 will be worse than the $17tn rise seen during the financial crisis of 2008-09.
Small business champion optimistic credible scheme will be in place this Autumn
On Monday, the Times’ James Hurley talked to Lewis Shand Smith, chairman of the nascent Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS), which has still not gone live due to ongoing arguments over which small businesses will be eligible for its support.
Banks say those who have been through a previous redress process, or who have tried to sue their bank, should be unable to apply, but SME representatives say the credibility of the scheme will be fundamentally undermined if valid cases are excluded.
Mr Shand Smith says his team have developed a nuanced approach that will see individual cases assessed on their merit but campaigners fear the eligibility issue could leave the organisation unstuck. Ian Lightbody tells the Times that “banks are pushing back like you wouldn’t believe”. Shand Smith concedes there are “knotty points to unpick,” but insists that “none are insurmountable.”
Employers to pay a quarter of wages from August
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is expected to announce this week that employers will have to pay at least a fifth of the wages of furloughed employees from August.
All companies using the scheme will be required to cover between 20 and 30% of people’s wages, even if they are still under lockdown.
They would also be required to cover the cost of employer’s national insurance contributions, on average 5% of wages, but the government will continue to pay pension contributions.
Businesses will be allowed to take furloughed workers back part time for as many hours a week as they want.
A Treasury source said: “We’ve got two full months of support left and afterwards the government will help to pay people’s wages, but it’s fair to everyone that businesses contribute as they get back to work.”
Big business urged to repay grants meant for small firms
Oil giant Shell has been taking cash grants meant for small businesses from the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) through its network of petrol stations, the Sunday Telegraph revealed.
The RHLGF was set up to enable businesses to access grants of £25,000 against properties with a rateable value of under £51,000.
Shell assured the paper that it would return the funds and that it “was not our intent” to take advantage of the scheme.
A spokesman for the Business Department urged other companies to follow Shell’s example: “Some larger companies have acted responsibly by returning funds and this is the approach we expect.”
Tui, Poundstretcher and Travelodge have also received RHLGF money, the Telegraph reported.
Think tank warns of 10% unemployment rate
The Resolution Foundation warns that the covid-19 crisis could see a return to a jobless rate of 10% or more for the next five years, considering the number of universal credit claimants has risen to 2.1m since the pandemic struck Britain.
The think tank said unless the government follows up the furlough scheme with further measures to shore up employment the rate could rise to an average of 10%, or 3.5m people out of work, at a cost to the Treasury of about £175bn in lost taxes and higher benefit spending over five years.
Meanwhile, the Royal Society of Arts has called for a three-day week return-to-work plan which would see workers split into two teams working Monday-Wednesday or Thursday-Saturday.
Reed warns of ‘tsunami of job losses’
The chairman of recruitment firm Reed has warned of a “tsunami of job losses” in the UK when the government’s furlough scheme comes to an end. “Companies I talk to are a half or a quarter of the size they were when they furloughed people, or they are on the verge of going bankrupt.” Jamie Reed says.
Luke Johnson: Speak up or we’ll be in a socialist lockdown forever
Luke Johnson warned in the Sunday Times that unless private sector bosses start speaking up about the merits of wealth creation and free markets they can expect to be swallowed up by “semi-permanent lockdown socialism”.
He said almost the entire broadcast news agenda in the UK is filled with public sector voices. Of his recent experience on the BBC’s Question Time programme, Johnson says the other four panellists were all public sector: “None of them was fearful about losing their job because of COVID-19 and the lockdown; none of them would lose a defined benefit, taxpayer-underwritten pension; none had a business at risk of going bust; none was seeing redundancies in their organisation, having to beg for a loan or negotiate with creditors to survive; none was in rent arrears and worried about eviction; and they could all do their jobs comfortably at home.”
Hard-left elements see this crisis as a great opportunity to expand the state, Johnson went on, yet “entrepreneurs, and those who believe in markets, trade and the profit motive, seem paralysed and depressed.”
Treasury draws up bailout plan for strategically important companies
The Treasury has outlined principles under which the government would rescue individual companies whose failure would “disproportionately harm the economy”, the FT reported Monday.
The plan, dubbed Project Birch, could see loans extended that made the taxpayer the primary creditor, but taking an equity stake is not thought to be the preferred option.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph talked to experts who are backing the idea of the UK government taking equity stakes in companies it bails out amid the COVID-19 crash.
Regarding Jaguar Land Rover, which is in talks about a loan of more than £1bn, Professor David Bailey at Aston University said having loan packages convertible into equity is a very good idea and could help form a new industrial policy, adding that governments holding a stake in automakers is less unusual on the continent.
Tej Parikh, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, adds that a sovereign wealth fund could help deal with the problem of huge debt dragging on business investment in the months ahead.
However, Professor Philip Booth at the Institute of Economic Affairs says an equity stake leaves the government with the lowest level of security and could lead to poor corporate governance with a company run by a mix of bureaucrats and politicians.
UK ready to take stakes in key industries
Whitehall officials are working on plans for the UK government to take stakes in failing companies deemed vital to the economy.
Dubbed “Project Birch”, the plan would give the Chancellor room to rescue individual companies deemed viable but that had exhausted all other options.
The move would be unusual in Britain but would echo bailout plans in Germany and France, which are set to take equity states in airlines and carmakers.
The news comes amid reports that Jim O’Neill, former Treasury minister and ex-chief economist at Goldman Sachs, has been attempting to persuade the government to set up a sovereign wealth fund to take stakes in “inherently stable” businesses.
Lord O’Neill could also lead a new Northern Powerhouse “growth board” to help deliver on Boris Johnson’s election promise to “level up” prosperity across the country
PM urged to build air bridges to drive recovery
Business leaders have written to Boris Johnson urging the PM to create “air bridges” to low or no-infection countries as soon as possible, arguing this would “be a vital step towards allowing British businesses to maintain connectivity as part of a sensible, risk-based measure.”
Signatories to the letter include Airlines UK, the Federation of Small Businesses, Make UK, UKHospitality and the British Chambers of Commerce.
They say quarantine measures announced by Priti Patel on Friday are a blanket approach which will have “significant consequences for the UK’s tourism and hospitality industry, and any sector of the economy which relies on air connectivity for their supply chains, recruitment and exports.”
Code of conduct underway for landlords and tenants
A “code of conduct” is being drawn up by ministers to ease mounting tensions between commercial landlords and businesses struggling or refusing to pay rent.
Landlords, tenants and officials are attempting to thrash out rules to help tackle a backlog of disputes that has built up through the pandemic. Landlords collected about one third of the £2.5bn usually paid by retail tenants on the March quarterly rent day and are braced for worse in June.
Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said a “united approach” was needed while Dominic Curran, property policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, said a code could only work if it was binding on all parties.
He is also calling for it to be linked to longer debt enforcement bans, and for direct help on rent from the Government
Post-COVID society will reject the selfish
The Independent on Saturday’s Chris Blackhurst believes the coronavirus pandemic must bring about a more fair society, with arguments for wealth taxes on individuals and businesses bound to grow louder while tax havens will face increased scrutiny.
Blackhurst predicts too that pressure to bridge the inequality gap will mean “that anyone found to be attempting to lessen their dues can expect to be pilloried, their reputation badly tarnished, their business ostracised and frozen out of government work.”
The Times’ Philip Aldrick also looks forward, concerned that the young will suffer higher taxes for years to pay for the UK’s spiralling debt. He points the finger at the wealthy self-employed, who he calls “villains” and accuses of using capital gains to dodge tax for decades.
Pre-pack watchdog facing collapse
The Pre Pack Pool’s oversight committee has warned the government that unless referrals of pre-pack sales to it are made mandatory the body is at risk of collapse.
The Pool was launched in 2015 to review pre-pack administrations in order to bring greater transparency to the controversial insolvency process. But only about 10% of eligible cases are being referred to the body, which relies on income received from referrals from prospective purchasers.
The government’s power to make referrals mandatory under a sunset clause in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 lapsed yesterday.
A spokesman for the Insolvency Service said: “The government will continue to work with the regulators in the insolvency industry to ensure that pre-packs work effectively.”
Mortgage holiday scheme extended to September
The Treasury has confirmed that the mortgage payment holiday scheme is set to be extended for a further three months. The scheme had been due to end in June after launching in March and aiding more than 1.8m homeowners. The Treasury and Financial Conduct Authority said borrowers would either be able to continue to withhold payments until the end of September or start making reduced payments instead.
Tax traps loom as market freeze holds up sales
A property market frozen due to the covid-19 pandemic is pushing an increasing number of homeowners towards an additional 3% stamp duty charge as they approach the end of a three-year limit on selling their old home after acquiring or building a second one.
Chris Etherington of RSM said: “There will be a significant number of people who were hoping to sell their former homes this year and reclaim the surcharge, but will not be able to do so.”
Robert Salter of Blick Rothenberg also points out that a change to CGT rules could sting – before April 6, families had 18 months in which to sell a second home that was previously their main residence without paying CGT. Now they have nine months and if required to pay will have just 30 days to do so, rather than at the end of the year as before.
JLR seeks £1bn lifeline
Jaguar Land Rover is in talks to borrow more than £1bn through the UK’s emergency coronavirus lending program as the company battles to survive a collapse in car sales brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
JLR, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, is also seeking tax breaks, research grants and other subsidies, according to people familiar with the matter, which could bring the total aid package to nearly £2bn. However, the company has disputed this figure. Tata may be required to back part of the UK government loan to secure the funding.
Specialist Leisure Group collapses into administration
The owner of coach company Shearings has collapsed into administration, putting around 2,400 jobs at risk. EY, the administrator for Specialist Leisure Group, had tried to find a buyer but it had not been possible. Richard Calvert, SLG chief executive, said: “This is a terribly sad day for employees, customers and commercial partners […] The effects of COVID-19 on our 117-year-old company and the wider travel industry have been devastating.”
Retailers welcome move to reopen shops
Boris Johnson has announced that all non-essential retailers will be able to reopen in England from 15 June, providing progress on fighting the coronavirus continues.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to reopen from 1 June. New guidance had been published for the retail sector “detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards”, the Prime Minister said.
The British Retail Consortium welcomed the announcement, adding it provided “much-needed clarity on the route ahead”.
City centres may never be the same again
In a piece yesterday for the Times, KPMG chief economist Yael Selfin considered the future of big cities in a post-COVID-19 world as more people work from home and large retailers continue their struggle with online giants.
The shift will see local communities and local trade outside economic centres further strengthened; but there is no reason why city centres should be hollowed out. Selfin suggests premises freed up could be occupied by university labs and college workshops that may collaborate with businesses and communities to create start-up accelerators, for example.
Call to extend car finance relief
Motor industry experts have said owners with finance should be given an extra three-month break from paying their bills after mortgage holidays were extended to help borrowers.
The Finance and Leasing Association said that in the eight weeks to May 1st, members had received an estimated 1,243,000 requests for COVID-19 related forbearance from customers, 82% of which had been granted by that date.
Andrew Burn, an automotive expert at consultant KPMG, adds: “The last thing wanted is a load of repossessed vehicles coming back into the market – just as the manufacturers are trying to start production.”
City workers expect to spend more time at home
A survey by Deloitte has found that the majority of City workers expect to spend more time working from home after the lockdown has ended.
The poll of 500 workers, who live in London and the home counties, found that more than 75% of financial services workers believe that they will work remotely at least one day a week after the restrictions end, up from 41% previously.
Only 10% of respondents said they had endured a negative experience operating remotely, while 70% said it had been positive.
Richard Hammell, of Deloitte, said: “The City will need to use this experience to reconsider the employee proposition that underpins the financial services industries. Far from being the death of the City, it’s a chance to shape it for the future.”
Elsewhere, former City minister Mark Hoban writes in the Telegraph about the need to improve the digital skills of the financial services workforce. “COVID-19 has accelerated the digitisation of the sector and will continue to do so,” he says, adding that increased digitisation will strengthen the sector.
UK companies tap bond and stock markets for £30bn
Some 150 UK companies have raised a total of £30bn from financial markets to shore up their balance sheets against the coronavirus crisis, according to analysis by New Financial and BNP Paribas.
Some £25bn has been raised by 50 firms in the corporate bond market, while an additional 100 companies sold £5bn of stock. “Given how important capital markets are today to UK companies and the UK economy, they will have to play a vital role in helping support the economy through this crisis and in fuelling an economic recovery,” said William Wright, founder of New Financial
Don’t let Covid-19 bust your business!
It will if your cash flow dries up, either sooner or later.
The Credit Protection Association (CPA) has been assisting thousands of UK businesses to get paid since 1914. We have seen many financial crises, this one will be particularly deadly for suppliers for sometime to come.
CPA eases cash from tardy debtors – Efficiently, Effectively, Economically and Ethically. Above all tactfully, because maintenance of goodwill is paramount.
To meet the needs of creditors in the current crisis, we have designed a “critical care” package especially tailored for the situation.
- The annual package costs start at very low rates
- A minimum performance warranty is provided
- Several complimentary services included
Clients instruct CPA on-line via their PC or phone, completely user-friendly. Your late paying customers are told to pay you direct (not to us).
A very recent report shows a 23% increase in the number of unpaid invoices since March 11th THIS YEAR – are you getting a build-up of late payers?
Right now, overdue accounts must be a concern and CPA has a great track record of encouraging slow-payers to pay their suppliers quickly.
It takes less than 17 minutes to see how you would benefit, do you have the time now?
No face-to-face meeting required – just call Peter Uwins, CPA’s National Sales Manager, on 020 8846 0000 (business hours) or email nsm@cpa.co.uk today.
When you see your money come in, you will be so glad you used CPA.
Do you sell on credit?
With pressures on the cash flow it is essential that you stay on top of the credit limits you grant customers and watch carefully for any late payments.
Those customers will look for the easiest option to boost their cash-flow. Don’t let it be you.
You can’t just assume your customers can and will pay you eventually, no matter how big their name is.
It is essential to have credit management systems in place to monitor and check your customers credit worthiness.
It is also best practice to use a trusted third party like CPA to make sure you are paid on time by customers, no matter how good a name they have.
About CPA
The Credit Protection Association can help!
Formed in 1914, CPA has been providing credit management services to SMEs for over 100 years.
At the Credit Protection Association, we provide first class credit information that can help you avoid being over extended to customers who are at risk. Our monitoring service can flag up warning signs long before the end, giving you the chance to adjust and reduce your exposure. We provide recommended credit limits and credit scores on a traffic light system and can help you set appropriate credit policies for your customers.
We regularly publish lists of the latest insolvencies but by then it is too late. Our credit reports however predict approximately 96% of company insolvencies long before they arrive.
Companies in trouble usually have very bad cash flow and they try to deal with it by delaying payment to their suppliers, increasing your exposure to them.
If you supply on credit, help us help you identify the risks.
Why use a third party collector?
As a third party collector, we can also get your payments prioritised over those who are not as hot on collections. When your customer receives a letter from the Credit Protection Association regarding their outstanding account, they are going to want to get that resolved as a priority. Our overdue account recovery service can get your unpaid invoices to the top of their “to do” list and get your invoice paid.
Over the years we have collected billions in overdue invoices for our customers.
Our debt recovery and credit management services give our members the financial freedom needed to grow and prosper, while our new Late Payment Compensation department could unlock hidden potential and offer the compensation needed to springboard your business to success.
You might be hesitant about contacting a debt collection agency. What are they going to be like?
Can they help your particular type of business?
There is no need for concern. CPA are courteous, helpful and very probably have had direct experience of working with your type of business.
Debt collection agencies are not all alike.
Success lies in both recovering money and keeping customers happy. The Credit Protection Association was founded in 1914 and has helped tens of thousands of UK businesses to collect outstanding payments and reduce the risk of incurring bad debt. We believe that creditors deserve to be paid for the work or goods they have supplied but we fully understand the need to maintain
the best possible relationship with customers!
At The Credit Protection Association, we provide solutions, advice and back-up in all areas relating to the supply of services or goods on account. Client-members receive everything they need from a single source to reduce debtor days and write-offs.
The Credit Protection Association has helped has assisted tens of thousands of UK businesses with their credit control requirements, since the First World War.
We are polite, firm and efficient when it comes to recovering outstanding debt.
“We have used CPA for a number of years now. The website is easy to navigate around with lots of helpful reports. The staff are always at hand and very friendly. CPA has helped us reduce our debt over the years and keep track of potential issues with our customers.”
~ CPA client in Buckinghamshire
“The service from CPA has proved to be everything that you said it would be. We have already seen a huge benefit. We have had a number of overdue accounts paid promptly and directly to us. It is also a huge weight off our mind to know that once we have passed an overdue payment over to you, you take care of everything whilst keeping us informed.
~ Credit Controller client in Warrington
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Ready to speak to an advisor?
For help or advice on credit management, entirely without obligation.
Call us today
0330 053 9263
CPA is passionate about late payment
The Credit Protection Association has been protecting smaller firms against poor payment practices for over 100 years.
We are extremely passionate about breaking the late payment culture that holds back the UK economy and threatens many SMEs with cash flow difficulties being the single biggest killer of Britain’s small businesses.
If you were regularly paid late we can help. Those former customers used you to boost their own cashflow, regularly paying you late.
As a result you had extra costs, you had the distraction of having to chase payment, you had opportunity costs because your capital was tied up in their late invoices.
Under little used legislation, you are entitled to compensation for those late payments.
Now you can boost your own cash-flow.
CPA can help unearth the those hidden treasures.
We have the technology to reveal the compensation you are due and we have the extensive experience and expertise to then turn those claims into cash.
Yes, CPA can help you boost your business cash-flow.
Don’t let your bankers control you, contact CPA today.
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Do you realise you could be sitting on a fortune?
Late payments often result in a cash flow crunch and leave SMEs in need of a cash injection.
If you sold B2B on credit then there may be a hidden source of capital you can call on.
If you fancy an bit of extra cash in your business, rather than jumping through hoops with your bank, you could look to uncover the resources from an unexpected source within your own business.
Not many are aware but there could be a hidden fortune within your business, sitting there, just waiting to be uncovered and released.
We can help you uncover the pile of gold, you didn’t even know you were sitting on.
If you trade with other businesses and were often paid late then you could be entitled to significant compensation.
Under little known and under-utilised legislation your business could be due huge amounts in compensation that you didn’t even know about.
Let’s be clear – this is not a way to weaken any customer relationships you value. It is one that identifies who’s been paying late and then recover the potentially significant sums in compensation using Late Payment Legislation from businesses where the relationship has already ended.
You can pick and choose who you want us to follow up – but once we’ve agreed which companies you’d like to pursue compensation from it’s a fast process and there’s no financial outlay to you whatsoever. My team at CPA put its expertise to work to recover the compensation due and fight late payment culture.
That compensation could provide the cash boost your business needed.
But don’t delay, that compensation evaporates if not claimed within six years of the late payment.
How can CPA help?
CPA has developed a unique technology to dig into your accounting records and discover the cash injection you are due by means of compensation. The software does all the hard work. Our software interacts over the cloud with over 300 different software packages, working directly with your accounts package, just so long as it’s stored on a computer.
We recognise that most companies do not have the resources to spend time on the identification and calculation of Late Payment Compensation. Our service can produce an Analyses within just a few days with (usually) less than 30 mins of co-operation from our clients. We work directly with over 300 accounting packages but can also work with bespoke accounts packages. Indeed, speed is essential as the oldest invoices may fall foul of the 6-year time limit.
Once the Sales Ledger Analyses is made available to clients, all that is required is that management decide which commercially sensitive ex-customers to remove from the list and return it to us.
CPA then uses its years of collection experience to explain and recover the Late Payment Compensation Claims. Clients do not handle any part of the recovery process as our team will take all communications from the companies against who the claims has been made. Often, it’s simply a case of explaining the legislation, sometimes we have to go all the way and enforce the legislation through the courts.
The result is that we are realising clients’ claims worth tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds which, of course, is pure net profit. You may also be among the recipients of “hundreds of thousands of pounds” should you elect to take advantage of our services.
We do the work, you receive the cash.
If you have supplied goods and services to businesses on credit and were regularly paid late then you could be due significant sums in late payment compensation.
We are talking to companies and unearthing claims in the hundreds of thousands from former business customers who paid them late. Large business customers who abused their power to inflict unfair and sometimes illegal payment practices.
We are helping business owners who are looking to boost the returns from their business before they retire. We are helping businesses who have lost major clients after years of loyal service to get properly compensated for systematic late payment. We are helping companies that were looking to close down, who looked insolvent and finding that cash injection they need to avoid insolvency.
Those former clients who regularly paid you late can finally be made to pay.
Ready to speak to an advisor?
For help or advice on credit management, entirely without obligation.
Call us today
0330 053 9263
The Credit Protection Association is a credit management company established in 1914. If you supply goods or services on credit then we can help you!
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Keep up to date with the latest news by following us on social media:-
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections