RESET, RESTART & RECOVEREnsuring a Safe & Sustainable Return for Businesses in Milton Keynes

MyMiltonKeynes, in partnership with Milton Keynes Council, the

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Milton Keynes Business

Leaders Partnership (MKBLP), Destination Milton Keynes (DMK)

and MK Business Council, will deliver a plan to support the economic

recovery of Milton Keynes and its surrounding suburbs.

As we start welcoming our colleagues, members and customers

back we’re working with businesses, organisations and the wider

community to help create a seamless recovery process for all.

Working together, we will strengthen the local economy, create new

opportunities and deliver the safest and most sustainable solutions

for people living, working and visiting Milton Keynes.

A Partnership Approach

ResetWe understand that returning to everyday life in Milton Keynes,

whether as an employee, resident or visitor, is going to look a lot

different, which is why we’ve combined the latest Government and

industry advice to ensure you have all the information you need

within easy reach.

RestartWhether you work in a business, retail or leisure environment,

following new regulations is vital to ensuring the safety of your

employees, customers and the wider public. We’ve created a

step-by-step guide to the actions you need to take, in order to

create a clean and safe space that everyone has confidence in.

RecoverClear and consistent communication will be essential to the

sustainable recovery of our local economy. Collectively, we will keep

you up-to-date with all of the relevant industry and Public Health

England announcements, so that you can pass these onto your staff

and customers. We want to hear from you about any support you

may need and how we can enhance Milton Keynes to embrace and

rebuild our business community.

Our Ambition

ResetWith many of us heading out of our homes to go to the office, shopping

centre or our local high street for the first time in months, it’s natural that

there will be some nervousness about the hygiene measures, distancing

restrictions and safety precautions in place. We would recommend that

businesses, retailers and leisure facilities review the following advice in full:

• World Health Organisation

Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19

• Public Health England

Guidance for employers and businesses on COVID-19

• Health & Safety Executive

Help and information to keep people safe and healthy at work

• HM Government

The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy

• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

(MHCLG) COVID-19: Safer Public Places - Urban Centres and Green Spaces

• British Retail Consortium Social Distancing in Retail Stores and Warehouses

• Local Government Association COVID-19: culture, tourism, leisure and sports

• MIND

Mental Health and Wellbeing support

• HM Government

Guidance on phased return of sport and recreation outdoors

• HM Government

COVID-19 advice on accessing green spaces safely

• Visit Britain

Helping tourism recover

ComplianceComplete all necessary compliance forms, risk assessments and make amendments to health & safety processes and procedures to ensure that all relevant business documentation takes Covid-19 guidance into account.

CommunicationTalk to your employees and customers to find out about their concerns and feed these back to one of the partner organisations referenced within this document who can help. We will undertake regular research too, so that we can inform and support their recovery of businesses, retailers and leisure facilities

in Milton Keynes.

CleanlinessWe encourage you to increase the intensity and frequency of your cleanliness regimes, communicating the importance of regular deep cleaning of facilities and personal hygiene to all employees and customers. Please support us by keeping your business area clean and reporting any issues or concerns to the relevant partner organisation.

Crowd ControlSignage will be essential to encouraging people to follow the right safety measures when out and about, and to give people confidence that it’s okay to be shopping, meeting and socialising responsibly in Milton Keynes. Free resources are available from Milton Keynes Council.

ChangeFlexibility is going to be key over the coming months. We will provide advice and support to businesses with regular updates to ensure you have the help you need to make any necessary changes.

ConfidenceMeeting and socialising virtually has become the new normal, so sharing photographs and videos of ‘real life’ shopping, leisure and business activities via social media will help to instil confidence in the safety measures in place. We will continue to support you in sharing any news and updates that you post. Please share your stories using the #restartMK to be part of the campaign.

Our top priority is protecting our customers and colleagues, ensuring that every possible

step has been taken to provide a safe experience when working in or visiting Milton Keynes.

Follow our 6 Cs to help restart your business and support your successful recovery:

Restart

Image credit: Gill Prince

Local businesses, retailers and leisure attractions have been working

hard to establish additional health and safety measures for reopening,

with documents, photographs and videos to help communicate these

new rules. See below some examples of local reopening plans, we’ll

add more examples, as government advice allows other businesses to

create and share their plans:

• Milton Keynes Council

Coronavirus: changes to council services

• thecentre:mk

How to Play Your Part

• intu Milton Keynes

Keeping you safe and well during your visit

• MK1 Shopping and Leisure Park

Safety measures at MK1

• Network Rail

Travel advice

• Woburn Safari Park

Welcoming you back

Restart continued...

A Cleaner CityIn line with Government

guidelines, there will be an

enhanced cleaning regime

across Milton Keynes,

including the regular

cleaning of all key touch

points, such as bins, posts

and seating areas.

External seating will be

regularly cleaned and social

distancing will be promoted

on all seating by way of

signage and customer

focused teams at sites

across the city.

We will encourage a strict

personal hygiene regime

including regularly washing

hands, the use of disposable

gloves and face coverings.

A Safer CityIndividual stores, branches

and businesses will manage

a robust queuing system

and ‘safe distance zones’, in

partnership with property

managers, to ensure a clear

and consistent system is

followed throughout

Milton Keynes.

Thames Valley Police

will continue to ensure it

provides a visible presence

across all settings, making

employees and visitors

feel safe and providing

regular access to public

safety information.

An Amazing CityIn challenging times, we’re so

proud of the Milton Keynes

community for supporting

one another, as always!

With over 6,000 acres of

parkland and green space

to explore in Milton Keynes

and positive mental health

and wellbeing playing

an important role in our

collective recovery process,

we encourage you to get

outdoors and discover

more of Milton Keynes.

Our city’s ability to adapt

and innovative is one of

its biggest assets, and

we’re looking forward

to witnessing it conquer

this historically

significant challenge.

The reopening of businesses is just the first phase of recovery; encouraging confidence,

promoting the positive messages and investing in a cleaner, safer and more vibrant Milton

Keynes will help to secure the long-term success of our city – and for that reason, we’ll

continue to implement projects that support you to create:

Recover

- ResearchA recent survey to ascertain the attitudes of Milton Keynes residents

to returning to shopping and leisure activities saw a high level of

interest and a reasonable level of cautious enthusiasm to lifting the

lockdown measures.

Overall, respondents were worried about their safety and this leads to

them suggesting they will visit less frequently, along with a reasonable

proportion considering switching their shopping habits to more local

or online participation.

It is clear that respondents want to have confidence to return, and

many will watch the impact of the lifting of lockdown closely over

the first few days to see whether they are satisfied that their basic

expectations have been met, and their fears of overcrowding, long

queues and inadequate cleaning/PPE are not realised.

Ultimately this is all a matter of creating a trusted environment for

people to visit, which is more likely to be achieved by putting in

place measures which go beyond the basic requirements.

We’re here to help...

- CommunicationsTogether, we’re working to build a clear and consistent message to

reassure employees, visitors and the public that Milton Keynes is

sufficiently prepared for reopening and recovery.

• Consistent signage in all public areas across Milton Keynes

• Social media campaign to position Milton Keynes as taking great care of its employees and shoppers

• Research to gather public opinions and insight into concerns

• Regular updates on Government and industry guidance

We’re here to help...

- ResourcesSignage

Milton Keynes Council has launched its #restartmk campaign,

which includes a toolkit for businesses and free to use resources.

Workplace and customer facing safety

signs and stickers are available at

www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/safety-signs

Welcome Help Control CCOOVVIIDD--1919

Also whilst visiting, please be aware:

Follow all the latest government guidance

If you have symptoms, please don’t enter

Follow social distancing guidelines

Wash your hands regularly

To keep our premises clean and healthy, please:

We’re here to help...

We’re here to help...- FundingCovid-19 support and funding is available now, including:

• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

• Deferring VAT and Income Tax payments

• Self-employment Income Support Scheme

• Statutory sick pay relief package for small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs)

• 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in England

• Small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief

• Grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000

• The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to support long-term viable businesses who may need to respond to cash-flow pressures by seeking additional finance

• New lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans

• The HMRC Time To Pay Scheme to help with tax

• Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund

• The MK Emergency Appeal Fund for Charities and Community Group

Ian Stuartinfo@destinationmiltonkeynes.co.uk 

destinationmiltonkeynes.co.uk

James Anderson james.anderson@fsb.org.uk

fsb.org.uk 

Keep in touchWe want to hear from you! What do you need, what do your employees need, and how can we enhance the city centre to embrace and rebuild our business community?

Melanie Beckinfo@mymiltonkeynes.co.uk

mymiltonkeynes.co.uk

Kellie Evanskellie.evans@milton-keynes.gov.uk

milton-keynes.gov.uk

Nicholas Mannnicholas.mann@mkblp.com

mkblp.com

Yvette Lamideyyvette@yvettelamidey.com