More than 22,000 businesses call Stirling home and the City of Stirling is responding to emerging small business pressures and providing much needed support over the next six months.
The City’s Economic Stimulus and Community Recovery Package was adopted by Council on 12 May 2020 to support local businesses and increase connectivity in our neighbourhoods as we move towards the recovery phase of COVID-19.
The following initiatives were approved:
- Rent abatement for small businesses (City owned properties)
- Increased activation and connectedness through neighbourhood centre upgrades
- Business counselling service
- Partnerships to activate businesses
- Business mastermind program
- Holiday at Home program
- Business friendly approvals process
- Streamlining of customer processes through the Relationship Management System (RMS) implementation
- Community creativity fund
- City-run events
- Town team activation fund
- Event sponsorship
- Locally targeted activation
The Economic Stimulus and Community Recovery package complements measures already implemented as an immediate response to COVID-19, detailed below.
Business counselling
The City is partnering with Business Foundations to provide our local businesses with tailored one-on-one advice on business continuity planning, identifying and reducing financial pressures, and implementing immediate strategies to get through the next six months.
If you are interested in this initiative please get in contact with the City’s Economic Development team at economicdevelopment@stirling.wa.gov.au.
Small Business Information Hotline
The City has developed a dedicated Small Business Information Hotline to provide Stirling based businesses with advice and assistance. You can contact the Hotline on (08) 9205 8904 from Monday 30 March 2020.
Verge bonds
The City is removing the fee for verge permits and reducing the amount of money tied up in verge bonds by up to $1,000. Existing verge bonds will also be refunded by up to $1,000 to allow more cash flow. The City’s Development Services team will be in contact with relevant businesses and households in the coming days.
Rates
The City will be temporarily ceasing collection on businesses with rate payment plans in place and removing interest charges.
Advice for restaurants and cafes offering delivery and takeaway
Many COVID-19 restrictions have now eased with Phase 3 of the WA roadmap enabling food businesses and licensed venues including cafés, restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels and taverns to open with physical distancing measures in place, including a maximum of 100 dine-in patrons per undivided space or 300 patrons per venue, with two square metres per person.
Businesses will need to prepare a COVID Safety Plan before they reopen, to protect staff and customers. Businesses will need to ensure their COVID Safety Plan is available for inspection by authorised officers.
For further information please see COVID -19 Business and industry recovery
If you have closed your food business temporarily or moved to takeaway and/or home deliveries, please contact the City's Environmental Health team at environmentalhealth@stirling.wa.gov.au to advise of changes to your operation.
Food trucks
If you wish to continue to operate a food truck from your home, development approval is required. It is the proponent’s responsibility to ensure that all necessary approvals are obtained.
For further information please email planningexemptions@stirling.wa.gov.au.