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Month: March 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19): timetable for easing restrictions

Posted on by Melanie Allen

The First Minister has today announced the Timetable for Easing Restrictions which sets out how and when we plan to lift the current coronavirus restrictions over the coming weeks and months.

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Timetable for planned phasing – Defined by the Scottish Government 16/03/21

2 April

  • lifting the ‘Stay at Home’ requirement and replacing it with a ‘Stay Local’ message (retaining the current, local authority-based travel restrictions for at least a three-week period)

5 April

We will continue to monitor closely this encouraging data. Assuming that all goes well, our next significant milestone for easing restrictions will be 5 April, when we plan to ease a wider range of current restrictions in level 4 areas (some of these activities/settings are already permitted/open in Level 3 island communities) including:

  • the resumption of outdoor contact sport for 12-17 year olds
  • return of college students within the top three priority groups identified by Colleges Scotland as most likely not to complete this academic year (estimated as 29% of learners)
  • reopening of non-essential ‘click and collect’ retail
  • extending the list of retail permitted to include:
    ° garden centres (indoor and outdoor)
    ° key cutting shops ° mobility equipment shops
    ° baby equipment shops
    ° electrical repair shops
    ° hairdressers and barbers (with shopfronts – not mobile services), by appointment only
    ° homeware shops
    ° vehicle showrooms (appointment only) and forecourts

The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

12/19 April, depending on term times

  • all children back to school full-time

26 April

Subject to supply by mid-April, we plan to have offered the vaccine to priority vaccine groups 1-9, based on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation advice for protecting the most vulnerable in our population. Assuming the data allows it, we expect a more significant reopening of the economy and society from 26 April. This will likely include the following easings (some of these activities/settings are already permitted/open in Level 3 island communities).

  • extending outdoor socialising to permit up to 6 people from up to 3 households to gather
  • allowing 12-17 year olds to meet outdoors in groups of 6 from up to 6 households
  • travel within all of mainland Scotland permitted (subject to other restrictions that remain in place)
  • remaining shops can reopen and mobile close contact services can resume
  • gyms can reopen for individual exercise
  • tourist accommodation to reopen (self-catering accommodation to be restricted in line with rules on indoor gathering)
  • work in people’s homes to resume • driving lessons to resume
  • weddings and funerals for up to 50 (including wakes and receptions with no alcohol permitted)
  • libraries, museums, galleries re-open
  • outdoor hospitality to open till 22:00 with alcohol permitted. Indoor hospitality permitted without alcohol and closing at 20:00
  • social mixing in indoor public places will be subject to current maximum of 4 people from up to 2 households The prohibition of in-home socialising will continue to be kept under review at this date.

17 May

Three weeks on from the publication of the last update, and given the progress with the vaccination programme and what we have learned about its impact on reducing transmission of the virus, we are now in a position to add a new indicative date for further easing of restrictions. From 17 May we hope to introduce the following easings:

  • re-introducing in-home socialising for up to 4 people from up to 2 households
  • further re-opening of hospitality: bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can stay open until 22:30 indoors with alcohol permitted and 2 hour time-limited slots and until 22:00 outdoors with alcohol permitted
  • adult outdoor contact sport and indoor group exercises can resume
  • cinemas, amusement arcades and bingo halls can re-open
  • small scale indoor and outdoor events can resume subject to capacity constraints (to be confirmed following stakeholder engagement)
  • colleges and universities can return to a more blended model of learning
  • more in-person (face-to-face) support services can resume
  • non-professional performance arts can resume outdoors

June

We know that the coronavirus is unpredictable and is adept at mutating in order to survive. It is also vital that we allow enough time between different sets of easings to assess what effect they have had on the R number and other virus indicators. For that reason, it is too early now to give specific dates beyond May. However, we understand the need for people and businesses to plan and so, to give a broad sense of likely timings, from the start of June, we would aim for Scotland to move back to Level 1. This will allow further relaxation across all areas of the economy and society, while still applying physical distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions and the FACTS guidance. From the end of June, we hope that we will be able to move to Level 0.

We must also be prepared to pause if the data shows that the virus is spreading again. We will act decisively to reapply higher levels of restrictions to manage localised outbreaks should the need arise. This could be on a local or regional basis, depending on the nature of the outbreak. However, we will not leave any restrictions in place for any longer than they are necessary to meet our responsibility to safeguard the people of Scotland.

Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC)’s Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:

“The timeline set out by the First Minster is most welcome and will give self-catering operators, and hospitality and tourism businesses across Scotland, the scope we need to plan for the immediate and medium-term future.

“In our view, these initial steps out of lockdown strike the correct balance between the needs of business, the desire across the country for increased normality, and the caution that we all have to continue to observe as we work together to beat COVID-19.

“The ASSC commends the Scottish Government on the majority of the content announced today and we look forward to receiving the further promised details on the funding that will be available to help us restart our businesses and get back to creating memory-making holidays for our customers.

 “However, we still require further clarity on the impact on business of household restrictions, which will continue until we reach Level Zero, rendering businesses unviable, as well the much-needed financial support as a matter of extreme urgency.

“There can be few sectors in Scotland that understand better the need to return to near normality as much as ours and, as a sector, self-catering is dedicated to continuing to work constructively with the Scottish Government, and all other stakeholders, in achieving this is in a safe and timely manner.”

Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said;

“The First Minister’s announcement of an indicative timeline for the phased reopening of our tourism and hospitality sector will be massively welcomed by the sector today; it is the most positive news we have received in a long time. 

“The STA has been in discussion with the Scottish Government on almost a daily basis over the past few weeks to highlight the need for a clearer route out of lockdown to be given to tourism businesses and our supply chain, not only to allow for the necessary timeframe to plan for reopening, but to protect the many thousands of jobs which are at risk.

“Today’s announcement will offer some very much needed light at the end of what has been the darkest tunnel for our industry. 

“One of the biggest challenges for tourism businesses has been the restrictions around travel throughout the country which will be removed as of 26th April allowing all tourist accommodation, cafes and restaurants the opportunity to open, 50 guests to attend weddings and our tourist attractions and adventure operators to start operating again.

“The sector has been closed for the majority of the past year; every aspect of the route map announced this afternoon offers us a more solid pathway for securing and protecting jobs and the ability to plan for reopening in accordance with government guidelines, building consumer confidence that when visitors choose to return, it will be safe to do so.

“Concern remains around the impact of the loss of our international market which will continue to be felt acutely by many sectors who are dependent on our global markets to trade viably, but it was encouraging to hear the First Minister to discussions set to take place with the travel industry and refer to a review of this mid-May.

“It’s absolutely critical that continued tailored financial support, by way of grants is made available to those who won’t be in a position to open and trade viably until we move into the much lower tiers; the up-front restart will be very welcomed to assist with that outlay.

“The detail announced today will I know come as a huge relief for so many and we look forward to posing further questions to the First Minister over the course of the coming days for an exclusive interview which will form part of the STA’s virtual conference programme on 24th March.

“We hugely appreciate the level of consultation between the Scottish Government, the STA and our colleagues within the sectoral groups and their willingness to listen and respond favourably to the recommendations which have been presented.

“We of course acknowledge that these dates are provisional and we are committed to working in a safe and professional manner to minimise risk and ensure that our tourism industry can play a key part in the rebuild and recovery of Scotland’s economy.”

Short-Term Let Working Group – Meeting 2

Posted on by Fiona Campbell

At the second meeting of the Short-Term Let Working Group, on 17th March, the agenda will cover the following:

For approval:

  • Paper 1 – Terms of Reference (updated)

For discussion:

  • Paper 2 – Forward Plan
  • Paper 3 – Outline structure of guidance
  • Paper 4 – Drafting the guidance
  • Paper 5 – Survey results
  • Paper 6 – ASSC Bed and Breakfast Definition (provided by the ASSC and circulated at their request)

In conjunction with industry stakeholders, the following points will be raised:

Terms of reference

  • The whole of the working group should be involved in decisions made by the working group. There should not be sub-groups making decisions on behalf of the wider group under any circumstances.
  • The scope of the working group should be narrowed down. Areas which are already part of existing regulations (e.g., fire safety) should not be up for discussion as part of this process.
  • Item 6 and 7 of the terms of reference are somewhat contradictory in nature. Item 7 should be changed so that members of the working group can put forward suggestions which are not simply about the licensing scheme which might improve the regulations.

Forward Plan

  • The timeline given by the Scottish Government is too tight and the whole process would benefit from more time to consider the regulations. In particular, a new Scottish Housing Minister would have, at most, two weeks to consider the working group’s suggested guidance and changes to the legislation, which is far too little time.
  • The control zone regulations will come into force before the guidance which is designed to assist their implementation. It is not clear how local authorities will be able to effectively implement the planning system without guidance, nor is it clear how ministers can be expected to consider applications to create control zones without reference to guidance.
  • The Scottish Government has communicated to the working group that there will be no immediate impact on hosts and operators when the legislation comes into force. It should relay this communication to hosts and operators to reassure them that they will not have to make any changes to their operations immediately.

Outline structure of guidance

  • The title may create unnecessary confusion for hosts and operators. The title is not specific enough, as lots of businesses which have paying guests are not in scope for this guidance.
  • The contents page alone is three pages long already. There is a danger that this guidance will be far too long and therefore will not be considered by hosts and operators. The Scottish Government should reflect on how to make the document as simple as possible and also about how it can present information visually wherever possible.
  • Pre-existing guidance should be signposted to but not discussed at length within the document.
  • The broader issue is that the working group is being asked to structure guidance against a piece of legislation that hasn’t yet been agreed on. The working group should first discuss possible amendments to the legislation, which should then be agreed by the Scottish Parliament, before any guidance is drafted.

Drafting the guidance

  • It seems counter-intuitive to discuss the structure in detail when that structure might be subject to change in the course of the working group’s meeting.
  • There is concern that the Scottish Government appears to want to develop licensing and planning guidance alongside one another. As the planning and licensing legislation are separate from one another, the guidance should be separate too.
  • There is concern that Scottish local authorities seem to be able to issue joint planning and licensing notices. This increases the chance of applications being failed, since an exception to either the licence or the planning permission can lead to both applications being rejected.
  • The bottom line is that the working group cannot effectively write the guidance until the legislation implementing the licensing scheme has been agreed by the committee.
  • The first task of the working group should be to improve the legislation. The guidance should wait until the legislation has been agreed on.

We look forward to a constructive meeting with the Woking Group on 17th March.

A page for the working group – Short-Term Lets Stakeholder Working Group – gov.scot (www.gov.scot). has been set up. Papers and all the notes of the meetings, will be published once they have been agreed by the group.

Support for Small Accommodation Providers Paying Council Tax Fund: Eligibility Criteria – B&Bs

Posted on by Melanie Allen

In order to evidence eligibility for this grant,  you can collate the following to apply from 15th March. The window to apply is just one week – CLOSES 22 March.

For B&Bs and guest houses, the business will need to:
  • Confirm that the business premises operates as a guesthouse, bed & breakfast, or similar small serviced accommodation (see fund guidance for definition)
  • Confirm that the applicant/business pays council tax
  • Confirm that your business receipts represent a primary source of income (one third or more of earnings)
  • Confirm that you can provide evidence of active trading up to March 2020 and had intended to continue trading in the tax year 2020-21
  • Confirm that you are not currently in receipt of COVID-19 related business grant support through the Strategic Framework Business Fund for the premises
  • Provide evidence of business insurance
  • Provide evidence of membership, accreditation, registration or listing with a recognised hospitality or tourism agency, representative body or marketing organisation, either national or local (for example, VisitScotland, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, SBBA, your local destination marketing organisation, AA, Quality in Tourism, etc). Online booking platform listing alone is not accepted as evidence.

Notes:

We believe the following supporting documentation might be required and may help if you have it ready:

  • Proof of identity, ideally photographic (for example a valid passport or driving licence)
  • Proof of business address (for example a recent council tax bill or utility bill)
  • Your self-declaration that the business operates as a guesthouse, bed & breakfast, or similar small serviced accommodation
  • Can provide evidence of active trading up to March 2020 and had intended to continue trading in the tax year 2020-21 which may be required as a self-declaration
  • Have evidence of membership, accreditation, registration or listing with a recognised hospitality or tourism agency, representative body or marketing organisation; national or local (for example, VisitScotland, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, your local Destination Marketing Organisation, AA, Quality in Tourism etc)
  • Have your Business Insurance Policy document ready. If you do not have specific Business Insurance, including appropriate Public Liability Insurance you should ensure that you do.
  • One of the folllowing:
    • HMRC unique tax reference
    • Or VAT registration number
    • Or Business Registration Number (provided by Companies House, Charities Commission, Mutuals, Public Register and other statutory and regulatory bodies that you must file accounts and annual membership details with)

All B&Bs, self-catering businesses and guest houses that were previously supported by either the Bed and Breakfast Hardship Fund or the Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Hardship Fund are automatically eligible for support under this scheme. These business SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONTACTED by the local authority and invited to apply for payment. However, IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED – PLEASE APPLY NOW:

If you have not been contacted by your Local Authority, you can apply between 15th and 22nd via your Local Authority Search for:   Small Accommodation Providers Paying Council Tax Grant