19 December 2023
UK government Find a grant service
Find a grant is a UK government service that allows businesses to search all UK government-funded grants. Businesses can use the website to browse or search for available grants, check if they are eligible and find out how to apply for each grant.
First step towards introducing the Advanced British Standard
Teachers, parents, young people and employers are all being invited to have their say on the development of the government’s revolutionary new Advanced British Standard.
A consultation has been launched seeking views on the design of the Advanced British Standard. To ensure your voice is heard, we encourage you to review the consultation and provide a response by the closing date of 20 March 2024.
The new baccalaureate-style qualification is part of the Prime Minister’s pledge to provide every child with a world-class education and ensure all young people have the skills they need to get good jobs that will help grow the economy.
The Advanced British Standard will mean most students choose a minimum of 5 subjects from a menu of options to give more breadth and flexibility.
These subjects will be built on A levels and T Levels, retaining their rigour and focus on building knowledge. By increasing teaching time and the breadth of what students can study, including maths and English, the Advanced British Standard will widen students’ career options and bring England in line with major economies such as France, Germany, Japan and the USA.
Families, business and industry to get energy efficiency support
Around a million families and hundreds of businesses will be helped to cut their energy use, backed by £6 billion, as part of the new approach to net zero that will save on costs for the public.
Families will benefit from a range of options to heat their homes for less and reduce emissions through energy efficiency measures, such as insulation for around 500,000 homes and hundreds of thousands more grants for heat pumps.
The Prime Minister’s 50% increase in the heat pump grant to £7,500 has already led to a 57% increase in applications. After the success of this scheme, an additional £1.5 billion of funding will ensure more homes and businesses can install heat pumps, helping people transition easily to the modern, clean heating systems needed to become a net zero nation.
For more information on improving your home or business energy efficiency, including current government support, go to gov.uk/energy-efficient-home.
Publication of Business Rates Relief information
In Autumn Statement 2023, the Chancellor extended the business rates relief scheme for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, worth an estimated £2.4 billion into 2024-25.
The government has published guidance setting out the eligibility criteria for the scheme. The RHL relief scheme guidance provides information about the intended operation and delivery of the policy. The government anticipates that local authorities will include details of the relief to be provided to eligible ratepayers for 2024/25 in their bills for the beginning of the 2024/25 billing cycle.
The 2024/25 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief scheme will provide eligible, occupied, retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with 75% relief. The total value of relief available per business, whether occupying one or more properties, is capped at £110,000. Any ratepayer who would be eligible for a sum of relief above £110,000 if there were no cap in place, should be awarded relief up to the full value of £110,000 (as has been the policy for previous years).
Campaigning for you – Ofgem and energy suppliers
The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee in Parliament has today published the Government response to its report from the autumn which called for urgent action from Ministers, Ofgem and the energy industry to help households and businesses.
NHBF wrote to the Committee over the summer in collaboration with other business groups including the British Beer and Pub Association calling for an inquiry and for the Committee to take further action. The Committee’s report in the autumn called on Ofgem and the energy companies to adopt a more proactive culture in improving industry consumer standards and for Ofgem to be quicker in challenging poor customer service. The Government response highlights the new rules implemented by Ofgem aimed at improving customer support from energy suppliers.