April 27 coronavirus update for businesses

By Tim Aldred

27 Apr 2020

Lancashire Business View's daily coronavirus updates are brought to you with the support of Boost, Lancashire's growth hub, and its #AskForHelp service. You're not alone in this.

Leyland Trucks factory reopens

The DAF factory in Leyland, along with its counterparts in Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Westerlo in Belgium, has successfully restarted its operations. Over the past four weeks the plants have introduced new hygiene and social distancing measures.

Hundreds of work stations have been assessed and adjusted. Tasks have been separated, routes altered and work schedules modified. Measures have been implemented to enable workers to maintain a distance of at least 2m, and cleaning products have been made widely available. As a precaution, production staff are now also wearing face masks.

Harry Wolters, DAF president, said: "For the moment we are less concerned about production figures. Instead, the safety of DAF and Leyland Trucks employees is our number one priority. That’s why the production volume is still relatively low. We will only crank it up when it is safe to do so. I am proud of the creativity and dedication displayed by our employees. We can now continue to supply our customers with the best trucks on the market"

YUDU makes hotline available to community groups

Clitheroe tech firm YUDU has made its emergency Sentinel Hotline available for free to community groups and local authorities. 

YUDU Sentinel create a Hotline phone number which is shared by the community group or council. The user types a written message into the Hotline dashboard and it’s immediately converted into a voice message. The update instantly becomes available to anyone who calls the hotline number, and allows organisations to communicate and manage the needs of the vulnerable during lockdown.

Richard Stephenson, the company's CEO, said: "As a crisis communication company, we wanted to do our bit during the emergency. Hotline is the perfect way to keep people informed and allows callers to leave voice messages so they can be contacted if they have specific requests. I really hope local Lancashire groups take up our offer as we believe it can be uniquely beneficial to our communities during these difficult times."

#BrilliantBurnley highlights business success stories

Burnley Council is acknowledging the hard work and committment of ten Burnley businesses who have successfully adapted to the coronavirus lockdown.

The case studies include Birchall Foodservice which opened a click-and-collect alternative to supermarket shopping, FDM which is digitally printing PPE components, Crow Wood Hotel and Spa Resort which is producing food for care homes, and gin distillery Batch Brew which has converted its process to manufacture hand sanitisers.

Government measures to protect retail tenants

New government measures will help protect retailers against landlords taking aggressive action to extract rent arrears. New temporary measures will stop landlords using statutory demands, winding up orders and Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) to obtain rent that is unpaid as a result of the ongoing lockdown.

Ministers believe the The Coronavirus Act 2020 will protect local high streets and help preserve millions of jobs. However, the measure has not to date, stopped landlords claiming unpaid rent in other ways, including using statutory demands and commencing winding up proceedings.

Eleanor Longworth, associate solicitor at WHN Solicitors, said: “The upshot of the impending legislation is that commercial landlords will no longer be able to use statutory demands and issue winding up proceedings if the reason the tenant can’t pay is down to coronavirus.

"In addition, there are to be restrictions on a landlord’s ability to use CRAR, which ordinarily allows landlords to instruct agents to seize goods to discharge debts, unless landlords are owed at least 90 days of unpaid rent. "The clear government objective is to assist tenants and ease the financial burden in the hope that they will survive the crisis and continue to trade when the restrictions are lifted.

"Landlords may be left with a significant gap in cash flow, with insurance premiums and contractors still to be paid. Government initiatives to date have been tenant focused, with little being done to help landlords who may themselves be under significant financial strain."

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

Management buyout at Suresite Group Steve Holden

Management buyout at Suresite Group

17 Oct 2025

2

Meet the influencers who have generated £2m sales for one company Helen and Richard Chalu new

Meet the influencers who have generated £2m sales for one company

16 Oct 2025

3

WHN strengthens position in prestigious legal guide Daniel Long

WHN strengthens position in prestigious legal guide

16 Oct 2025

4

Warden appoints new commercial manager to strengthen project delivery and growth Peter Heskine

Warden appoints new commercial manager to strengthen project delivery and growth

16 Oct 2025

5

Stockley's finds its sweet spot Stockley's front view

Stockley's finds its sweet spot

15 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues
EventBrite NORi - 22nd Oct Webinar.png.png
LBV Hub Webinar
22 Oct 2025 - 22 Oct 2025

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues

Online - Teams, Leyland, PR253XH

13:30 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

North West Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880456273-4862066883-1-original.20241022-105445.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
24 Oct 2025 - 24 Oct 2025

North West Business Expo 2025

Bolton Stadium Hotel, Bolton, BL6 6SF

09:00 - 15:00

Chamber Business Lunch – October
LBV Hub Networking
24 Oct 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Chamber Business Lunch – October

Lancaster Golf Club, Lancaster, LA2 0AJ

11:00 - 13:30

Lancaster District Business Support Expo
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
29 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025

Lancaster District Business Support Expo

The Platform, Morecambe, LA4 4DB

10:00 - 15:00

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin