Coventry Solihull and Warwickshire COVID Business Pledge goes live

“The Business Pledge is our way of encouraging businesses to do the right thing and demonstrate to their customers - our residents - that it is safe to shop and do business.”

Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire councils have gone live with an initiative to support businesses to show they’re doing the right things to be COVID safe for customers and staff.

The Business Pledge is aimed at all businesses across the sub-region, including shops, factories, offices and hospitality, as a way of reassuring staff and customers that businesses and venues are operating in a COVID-secure manner.

The Pledge has been developed to support businesses as England takes further steps on the roadmap out of lockdown. It is entirely voluntary, but by signing up to the Pledge, businesses are making a positive statement that they are following the relevant guidelines and are putting in place measures to ensure their premises are COVID-secure to safeguard the health and wellbeing of employees and visitors alike.

The pledge brings together the varied requirements that have emerged during the pandemic, covering social distancing, face coverings, ventilation, vaccination, testing and isolating, employee health and well-being and risk assessments. Warwickshire County Council has worked in partnership with BIDs and local councils of Warwickshire, as well as a range of local agencies to ensure a comprehensive support to local businesses.

Warwickshire businesses can sign-up to the Business Pledge here. They will be able to read and take the pledge, sign up for information on business support, get help with risk assessments, and access the Business Pledge posters, which can be displayed in staff areas
and customer facing spaces to raise awareness and encourage confidence that the premises are COVID secure.

In addition, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Warwickshire employing 50 or less (100 or less for hospitality businesses)  who sign up will get free access to the County Council’s Employee Assistance Programme, a web and telephone resource to help
staff deal with issues affecting mental health and wellbeing, such as debt and bereavement, which are impacting many at this time.

Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council, said: “We want to work with businesses and offer whatever support we can to ensure their reopening and ongoing operation is as successful as possible.

“The Business Pledge is our way of encouraging businesses to do the right thing and demonstrate to their customers - our residents - that it is safe to shop and do business.”

Lee Osborne, Federation of Small Businesses Development Manager Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull said: “Our high streets and local centres are the lifeblood of our local communities and it is positive that many of our small businesses will be able to reopen.

“Many small business owners have spent significant amounts in adapting their business and putting in measures to make their premises safe. The pledge is therefore a helpful initiative for businesses to demonstrate that they are doing the right thing and following best practice to help reassure both staff and customers. This has been an unbelievably tough year for small firms and now more than ever they need our support, in any way we can.”

Louise Bennett OBE, Chief Executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, added: “Our businesses have been working incredibly hard to ensure they are COVID-19 secure, and it is vital that we work together to restore business and consumer confidence. By applying for the Pledge, they can show that shopping, visiting businesses, or returning to work, really can be a safe and enjoyable experience.”