Helping our city-reopen: support for businesses

Helping our city re-open. As Coronavirus restrictions ease Coventry is opening up for business.

Please see below a list of support measures. If you would like to speak to Coventry City Council about business support, please complete our business support request form.

If you're concerned that a Coventry business is not following the Government's instructions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, you can report a COVID-19 concern about a business online

Find out about:

Government and West Midlands Combined Authority support and advice

The Government has announced a series of measures to significantly increase the economic support available to businesses and workers during coronavirus. These measures include unlimited loans and guarantees to support firms and help them manage staff wages and cashflow through this period.

Coventry City Council business support specialists are in daily contact with UK Government and other strategic partners to ensure that our businesses can quickly get access to the support that is being made available. Specific local updates will be posted here as and when they are available.

To receive alerts of the latest updates, please connect with our LinkedIn page, follow our Twitter account and subscribe to our business newsletter.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) business grants

The Discretionary Grant and Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and Retail Hospitality Grant Funding (RHGF) application windows are now closed.

Those businesses that have submitted their applications before 5pm Wednesday 12 August 2020 will be notified shortly about the decision. Any applications or requests received after this date will not be considered.

For any other Business support enquiries please email: [email protected]

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) recovery guidelines for businesses

The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy has now been released. The Government, in consultation with industry, has also produced guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible, this includes 8 guides that cover a range of different types of work:

Transport and travel options in and around Coventry:

Workplace Action Cards by Public Health

Public Health England has released action cards for businesses that summarise the steps that should be taken to manage a possible outbreak of COVID-19. The Action Cards are designed to be printed or downloaded to keep on-hand in your business or organisation.

Action cards are available for each of the following business types:

Arts, heritage and cultural venues

Cinemas, theatres, comedy venues and music venues

Construction and outdoor work

Dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers

Hairdressing, barbershops, beauty and nail bars, makeup, and tattoo and spray tanning studios

Manufacturing of food and other large processing plants

Restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes or takeaways

Shops and branches

Spas, sports and massage therapy, wellbeing and holistic centres

Download a resource pack containing the action cards.

Hospitality businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many city businesses in the hospitality sector, such as pubs and eating establishments, opened on 4 July.

Find out how we are supporting the reopening of hospitality businesses.

Food businesses providing delivery/takeaway services

Advice for businesses that are looking to make provision for takeaways and deliveries where they have not done so before.

The 'We're Good to Go' Industry Standard

“We’re Good To Go” is the official UK mark to signal that a tourism and hospitality business has worked hard to follow Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines and has a process in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

How to apply for the "We're Good To Go" mark

Apply now to confirm your business has taken the necessary measures and is operating in line with the Government guidelines and Public Health guidance (relating to English businesses) clearly set out in your COVID-19 Risk Assessment.

Upon successful completion of the application, you will be sent a secure link to download your certificate, mark and a toolkit with practical steps for telling your customers that your business is Good to Go.

The application will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and you need to make sure you have read the relevant Government and Public Health guidance for your country before you begin. Please also make sure you have read the Terms and Conditions.

For more information on reopening your business, including links to sector specific guidance, please visit the Business Advice Hub. If you have any further questions, please call on 0345 873 8050.

Support for Council suppliers

Information and support for Council suppliers.

PPE support

If you are a social care or health organisation, then prior to seeking support with emergency PPE from the Council, you must seek supplies of PPE from your usual suppliers. If these suppliers are not able to meet your requirements, then you are required to contact suppliers listed on our PPE support page.

Guidance for businesses who are permitted to remain open

Guidance for businesses who are permitted to remain open, including an overview of the advice to businesses from Government and the NHS. This includes advice on how to keep your employees safe and how to clean workplaces safely.

Match-fund grant for culture and sports sector through Crowdfunder

Urgent funds are being made available to cultural and physical activity-based organisations and small businesses in Coventry to help them through the COVID-19 crisis.