The Framers Forum

So, as a picture framer with a premises that customers travel to bring work in to me it seems pretty clear that I am required to close to customers visiting my premises but can work with the doors locked . So you would imagine I would be eligible for some local authority government help for businesses required to close, but no!. My local authority are saying I am classed as a workshop and can stay open and as such am not eligible. There is no right of appeal on the decision but I can take them to a court tribunal which would of course be a very expensive process. Has anyone else had this situation occur, seems very unfair,. I can stay 'open' but can't accept customers so not much point being open is there, very frustrating!

That sounds very frustrating.

Are you on the High Street and look like a traditional shop, or are you more of an industrial unit type of set up?

I'm on an industrial estate so admittedly not 'high street' but a bespoke framer mostly for artists and not a contract framer

I have a shop but don't operate on a 'walk in' basis. I have had visitors, but not a lot. I'm not taking 'retail'
jobs at the moment. Still doing trade work but these don't require close consultation. Contact kept to an
absolute minimum.

So despite my complaints the council are upholding their decision and saying that my business needs to be 51% or more retail based eg selling pictures for sale, art supplies, ready made frames etc. I don't do any of those things and am just doing bespoke framing. I wonder if other framers around the country are recieving local authority business grants as they gave had to close?

I would contact my MP, and if s/he can't help, I would contact Rishi Sunak. I've heard him accept that there are anomalies, and I'm not sure whether they redress the anomalies where possible but it would be worth asking.

You can still trade but not have retail customers in your shop. I am finding that sales figures are pretty much normal, and I am spending less time “selling “. I’m collecting and delivering and doing consultations by phone and WhatsApp.

In fact most customers are having what I suggest first, rather than spending half an hour going through all the options before ending up with what I suggested first!

I can't have customers in the shop and I'm not fully back to open yet. Still in business, well sort of. Not had any government money so far and not doing very much just yet as it's really cold in the shop. I'm probably getting back in action in the next week, or so. I've still got some work still coming in, so perhaps looking reasonably hopeful.

I have had the national restrictions grant and work from an industrial unit in Liverpool. I also get most of my work from seeing customers in person. The advice your council has given seems completely at odds with the government advice. This is from the government page:

Your business may be eligible if it:

is based in England
occupies property on which it pays business rates (and is the ratepayer)
has been required to close because of the national restrictions from 5 January 2021 onwards, or between 5 November and 2 December 2020
has been unable to provide its usual in-person customer service from its premises
For example, this could include non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities, tourism and hospitality businesses. It could also include businesses that operate primarily as an in-person venue, but which have been forced to close those services and provide a takeaway-only service instead.

Assuming you pay business rates I don't see why you wouldn't be eligible. Maybe if all your work was contracts for hotels etc., In which case you could continue working on a click and collect basis. If you are working with members of the public though who need to be seen in person, I can't see how that is not classed as retail. Certainly I've not had any problem recieving any grants in Liverpool. It doesn't say anywhere in the guidance about restrictions based on your location or having to be based in a retail location

I agree with the advice to contact your MP. The main requirement seems to be that you have a property for which you pay business rates (or receive rates relief). The grant is there to stop business' from going under. It seems absurd that they are being picky who they choose to give it to, it's not like they can lose out on any way the funding comes straight from the government and can't be allocated for anything else

Are the local authority ignoring the government gidelines? I beginning to wonder if this is the case.

After many frustrating emails with the council they are standing by the classification of me as a workshop and as my business doesn't have at least 51% of its business being items for sale ie ready made frames, artwork, art supplies etc I do not qualify. I imagine most framers income comes from bespoke framing as mine does, I can't find this 51% figure anywhere!!

It's very difficult if you don't fit in to a convenient 'pigeon-hole'. Bureaucracy loves pigeon-holes.

If you don't fall into a neat category then people tend to get very confused.

I confuse a lot of people.

Paper shufflers are no employed for their ability to think. It's usually about ticking boxes. They just blindly follow their instructions. Sadly you need to talk to someone more senior to get a sensible decision.

It seems like different councils are interpreting the guidance differently.

Framerchap, there is also the self employed income support scheme, have you applied for that? It gives you 80% of your monthly wage I think. You apply directly to the government for that one

I'm guessing that there is not a bottomless pot of money and the flow of money is more limited as time goes on. There's not going to be another budget until the autumn and therefore the earlier approved budgets are probably feeling the pinch. Have you tried talking to the local newspapers and local radio stations about this. Some unwelcome publicity for the local authority and questions from the media, might hopefully get things moving.

Well, would you believe it!. After saying I had contacted my local MP I had a call from the Council Rates Support Team this afternoon saying that they had made a mistake and that they would now be paying me for the pre Xmas lockdown and this current one. What a result and maybe just goes to show its worth kicking up a fuss sometimes!. Thanks for everyone's advice

Brilliant news!

Wow, congratulations, that's brilliant, I'm very pleased for you!

Wow, what a result! So tremendously needed as well.