Concern that
some self employed risk missing out on Covid-19 cash
THE Low Incomes Tax
Reform Group (LITRG) worries that some people who are eligible
to apply for the self employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)
grant have not received correspondence from HMRC. LITRG is
warning people that if HMRC do not have their up to date contact
details, they might not hear from the Tax Authority. This is a
concern because HMRC are starting to contact people to invite
them to check their eligibility for the SEISS grant before the
claims process opens later this week. To qualify for the scheme
you have to meet several conditions which include a requirement
to trade on a self employed basis (either as a self employed
individual or a business partner in a trading partnership), both
currently and in the future (or would be, but for Covid-19) and
that your trade has been affected adversely because of the
Covid-19 outbreak. HMRC have used information from 2016/17,
2017/18 and 2018/19 Tax Returns to identify potential SEISS
claimants and have contacted them through either email, SMS
messages or letter.
Victoria Todd, Head of
LITRG, said:- "There
may be self employed people who have not received any
information from HMRC about the SEISS grant who are eligible and
should be making a claim towards the end of this week. This
includes people who are self isolating at a different address to
where they usually reside or perhaps have changed address or
mobile number but have not updated their contact details with
HMRC. We are concerned that self-employed people whose
businesses have been affected by the Coronavirus may miss out on
claiming this grant because they were not aware that it was
available. It would be very unfortunate if business owners who
have seen a fall in trade because of the lockdown or Covid-19
related health reasons do not get the financial help they are
entitled to. HMRC have produced an online checker4 on GOV.UK
which identifies whether you may be eligible for the grant.5 But
the online checker only checks some of the eligibility
conditions and may give an incorrect result. If you are self
employed and think you may be eligible for a SEISS grant, we
recommend that you read the Government's guidance which sets out
the full conditions and that you use the online checker to see
if and when you can apply for the scheme. We are aware that some
people who think they are eligible are using the checker and
receiving a 'not eligible' response. We suggest that you wait a
couple of days and then try again. If it still shows you are not
eligible then you can ask HMRC to review your eligibility."
To use the SEISS
online checker you will
need your National Insurance number and Unique Tax Reference (UTR)
both of which are on your Self Assessment Tax Return. LITRG's
article:- 'How to claim a grant under the self employment
income support scheme' explains in more detail how you
can use the online checker and how you obtain the SEISS grant.
Hales Barns
Carniva postpones its 2020 festival
ORGANISERS of the Hales
Barns Carnival, in Cheshire, have announced that the festival
will not take place this year due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
They have revealed that they will return, from Friday, 16 July
to Sunday, 18 July 2021. The festival was due to take place from
17 July to 19 July 2020, with acts including Martha Reeves And
The Vandellas, opera vocalist Russell Watson, and Seventies pop
rock band Bay City Rollers, but the event has been postponed
following the recent government guidelines. Anybody who has
purchased tickets for this year, has had their tickets
transferred over to the new dates and will remain valid.
Ticketmaster will be sending further details of the postponement
to each ticket holder this week with more details.
Organiser Max Eden from Hale Barns Events said:- "We have
been holding out to see if it was still possible for this
Summer's Hale Barns Carnival to go ahead, but following the
governments guidelines regarding outdoor events, it is with deep
regret that we have had to postpone this year's event. The
safety of our ticket holders, performers and staff must come
1st. We will return bigger and better next year. We would also
like to thank the 40k+ attendees of our free live streaming
Party At Home concerts which have featured star names and
brilliant local acts."
Max Eden added:- "We may not be able to boogie this Summer
together, but we've got something new and exciting planned for
later this year in the Winter which we will be announcing very
soon."
Tickets for
Hale
Barns
Carnival 2021 will go on
sale, at 11am, on Friday, 15 May 2020. Further
announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
Changes to
Merseyrail Services from 18 May 2020
FROM
Monday, 18 May 2020, the frequency and number of rail services
on the Merseyrail network will change. The decision has been
taken in light of the Prime Minister's announcement on Sunday in
which he set out a roadmap for the gradual reduction in lockdown
measures. The announcement included guidance that people working
in industries such as construction and manufacturing can now
begin returning to work. The guidance issued makes clear that
only those that absolutely must travel by train, should do so.
Merseyrail has increased services to a level that aims to meet
an increase in demand, whilst taking into account the number of
railway staff isolating due to the virus. Passengers are
reminded that these services are for essential journeys only. If
you can use alternative forms of transport including cycling or
walking please do so in line with the Government guidance.
Andy Heath, Managing Director at Merseyrail, said:- "We
have been working with Government and key stakeholders to
develop an increased service that aims to meet demand for those
who need to travel It is essential that everyone plays their
part in helping to keep the trains for those who really need
them. So, only use our services if you absolutely must while
maintaining social distancing where it is possible to do so. We
are committed to providing a reliable service to those who need
to travel across the Liverpool City Region as we move through
these uncertain times, and I would ask all passengers to act
responsibly at all times when travelling, and listen to advice
given by staff and displayed at our stations."
Trains will now operate within normal operating hours, albeit at
a reduced frequency. These are as follows:-
Monday to Saturday...
Southport to Hunts Cross Line...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then every 60
minutes until end of service.
Please note:- Additional services will operate during peak times
Monday to Friday.
Ormskirk Line...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then every 60
minutes until end of service.
Kirkby Line...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then every 60
minutes until end of service.
West Kirby and New Brighton Lines...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then every 45
minutes until end of service.
Chester Line...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then every 60
minutes until end of service.
Ellesmere Port Line...
Trains every 30 minutes until approximately 19:00 then a reduced
frequency until end of service.
Sunday...
Sunday services will still operate between the hours of 08:00
and 20:00.
Full details of the timetable can be found on:-
Merseyrail.Org.
In line with Government advice released by the Department for
Transport, Merseyrail is encouraging passengers to follow social
distancing guidelines when using the network:-
► Maintain social distancing wherever possible.
► Wear face coverings if you can.
► Use contactless payments where possible.
► Avoid peak travel if you can.
► Arrive at the Station in good time.
► Leave plenty of time for your journey; you might not make the
train you planned due to social distancing measures.
► Wash or sanitise hands as soon as possible before and after
travel.
► Follow advice from staff and be considerate to other
passengers.
► Please be kind and respectful to staff and other passengers.
Passengers are also advised to check before and on their day of
travel. This can be done by visiting the Merseyrail
website, the Merseyrail Twitter account:-
@Merseyrail or by sending a message on WhatsApp on:- 0151 555
1111. For more information and advice about public transport
services please visit the Merseytravel
website.
Total UK cases
COVID-19 cases - update for Liverpool City Region and
surroundings
ON the day when it was
announced that due to technical issue with the Department of
Health's reporting system in Northern Ireland in Ireland lead to
problems with the release of the latest numbers of confirmed
Covid-19 cases. The Business Secretary Alok Sharma telling the
UK that we are moving toward "Level 3" of the 5
tier Covid-19 alert system, and questions about regional
differences being skimmed over, the latest statistics are as
follows...
The total number of Coronavirus
(COVID-19) that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, cases
now stand at
243,303, that
includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not
included in the 4 National totals. The daily number of
laboratory confirmed UK cases is 3,142, as of Sunday,17 May
2020. The total number of deaths of people who have had a
positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS
laboratory is 34,636. Daily number of COVID-19 associated UK
deaths added to the total on 15 May was reported to be 170
according to the Department of Health. The number of laboratory
confirmed cases within the following Local Authorities, in and
around the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-
► Liverpool, 1,549 confirmed cases.
► Sefton, 889 confirmed cases.
► Wirral, 1,177 confirmed cases.
► St. Helens, 725 confirmed cases.
► Halton, 361 confirmed cases.
► Lancashire, 1,186 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire West and Chester, 989 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire East, 1,093 confirmed cases.
► Manchester, 1,410 confirmed cases.
► Stockport, 1,007 confirmed cases.
► Trafford, 737 confirmed cases.
► Wigan, 1,089 confirmed cases.
► Bolton, 940 confirmed cases.
► Rochdale, 706 confirmed cases.
► Bury, 664 confirmed cases.
► Tameside, 617 confirmed cases.
► Oldham, 997 confirmed cases.
► Blackburn with Darwen, 384 confirmed cases..
These stats are according to Public Health England as of
16/05/2020. Last updated 4.00pm GMT. UK total includes cases
detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing (tests carried out by
commercial partners) and therefore does not equate to the sum of
the 4 countries' counts, which only include:- "Pillar 1" (tests
carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved Administration Labs)..
UK total includes cases detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing
(tests carried out by commercial partners) and therefore does
not equate to the sum of the 4 countries' counts, which only
include:- "Pillar 1" (tests carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved
Administration Labs).
UK Government Coronavirus Press
Conference on 17 May 2020 Video