Advice for businesses
Current COVID-19 guidance
Guidance for businesses and workplaces on reducing the risk of COVID-19 and supporting staff and customers:
You can also get further information on support available to your business at Find Business Support.
Support for businesses
- Full information on what support is available can be found on the Find Business Support website
Business Gateway Midlothian
The Business Gateway Midlothian office remains closed to visitors. Advisers continue to work remotely keeping staff and customers safe and supporting Midlothian Council’s Net Zero 2030 target. Please direct all enquiries to bg@midlothian.gov.uk
Are you registered with Business Gateway Midlothian?
Registering with Business Gateway Midlothian will provide you with a dedicated adviser who will support you in all aspects of developing and growing your business.
- If you are planning to start a new business, please register by completing our Planning to Start tool
- Existing businesses can register with the service by emailing BG@midlothian.gov.uk
- Visit our Business Gateway website for information on our services, including details of webinars and online resources
- The Find Business Support website is regularly updated with information on funding support schemes as they are announced by the Scottish Government
Business Gateway will continue to provide website and social media updates related to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, so please do keep checking back to stay informed.
If you need adviser support, please contact the team at the email address below.
Business Gateway contact details
- Email: bg@midlothian.gov.uk
Follow us on social media
Business Gateway webinars
Business Gateway has a suite of webinars and online tutorials to help you manage your business now and for the future:
Locate in Midlothian website
If you're looking to start a new business venture, grow an existing company, relocate with your family or simply want to visit the area, the newly launched Locate in Midlothian website gives you all the tools, support and information you need.
- Discover why Midlothian is such a great, green place to grow
- Hear from local businesses
- Find a job
- List your vacancy
Online details
Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Aviation rates relief
The temporary Non-Domestic Rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses has now been extended by the Scottish Government into 2022/23.
The national regulations state that 50% rates relief will be available for the first 3 months of the new financial year (1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022), capped at £27,500 per ratepayer. In order to be eligible for this relief the premises must be used wholly or mainly for specified retail, hospitality or leisure purposes.
As was the case in 2021/22 the regulations require eligible businesses to submit a new application to access the 2022/23 relief.
If your property is eligible based on the information provided, an award will show in your Non-Domestic Rates bill for the financial year 2022/ 23.
Funds awarded
A total of £24,422,285 in Scottish Government funding support to local businesses in Midlothian was awarded up to the end of September 2021.
Further financial support for the self-employed
Current guidelines are that the self-employed can claim Universal Credit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
The Money Advice Service has issued guidance for the self-employed and sole traders, and a useful tool to help you identify what your entitlement for Universal Credit would be.
If you need to self-isolate and have a positive PCR test, you may be eligible for a £225 lump sum called a self-isolation support grant.
Healthy Working Lives - Safe Return to Work
Ensure you are protecting your business, employees and customers with a safe return to work plan.
Healthy Working Lives, funded by Public Health Scotland, have practical information and guidance to help your business reopen.
Complete a risk assessment and engage with your staff to keep everyone informed and safe.
Jobs support (online portal)
Are you:
- at risk of losing your job, facing reduced hours or need support to secure work?
- a business looking to recruit urgently to respond to high demands as a result of COVID-19?
If so, you can register your details at a new Covid-19 Jobs and Support portal. It allows you to advertise jobs, search for live vacancies, recruit employees, link to employability support and find up-to-date information on your rights.
After you register, you can search for job opportunities, add your skills and qualifications, upload your CV and cover letter, and tailor your job preferences.
Hospitality and tourism job portal
A free-to-use jobs portal to help workers from the tourism and hospitality sectors who’ve found themselves displaced as a result of COVID-19 has been launched, supported by the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) and UK Hospitality.
The portal helps those who have already been made redundant or who have had contracts terminated. It also allowed companies, such as those in the food and drink, retail and care sectors with under-employed staff, to second them to work in other sectors during the crisis. Video-screening will be provided as part of the service to speed up the recruitment process.
The portal will not be visible to the public, and can only be accessed by the tourism and hospitality community through a link provided by participating companies.
If you're having to let go of staff, or if you're an organisation wishing to register vacancies, please email HospitalityUnite@Harri.com to receive more information.
More information and useful contacts
- Business Gateway National
- Scottish Government updates on Coronavirus in Scotland
- The Parent Club advice, tips and support for parents and carers
- SCVO information on third sector funding and resources to support the sector through the coronavirus pandemic
- Midlothian Third Sector Interface support charities, social enterprises and community groups and have Coronavirus information and resources for those working in and running a business in the third sector.
- Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce
- Scottish Chambers of Commerce Coronavirus related business support
- The Federation of Small Businesses has made its Coronavirus information and guidance available to both members and non-members
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB):Advice for Farmers
- Supplier Development Programme tender ready webinars
- Just Enterprise support during the Coronavirus pandemic
- SAMH: Coronavirus and your mental wellbeing
- Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE): Redundancy help in Scotland
- Confederation of Business Industry (CBI): CBI COVID-19 Hub
- Ofcom has published advice for consumers on the increased incidences of email and text scams related to COVID-19. The advice outlines what you need to look out for and what action you should take if you are in doubt
- Visit Scotland Covid 19 recovery phases in Scotland
- Scottish Tourism Alliance: for regular updates on concerns and issues for the tourism sector being raised at Government level
- Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers
- ACAS advice and guidance for employers & employees
- The Financial Conduct Authority has issued guidance on what you can expect from mortgage lenders
- The Association of British Insurers have created a Coronavirus hub that will answer questions such as those below and many more:
- How are insurers supporting unoccupied premises where businesses are temporarily closed?
- If my business isn’t able to operate because of COVID-19, should I just cancel my insurance policy?
- UK Government guidance for employees, employers and businesses in providing advice about COVID-19