Dear LCiL service users
I am writing to you to let you know how LCiL is mitigating the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic at present. Given the rapid change of governmental advice, and our duty to protect staff and follow procedures, we are planning for the worst-case scenario. As a small organisation, our relatively small number of staff may well be affected, compromising our ability to deliver services as normal. We also have a duty to reduce the risk of spreading infection to people using our services, so we are reducing, or cancelling, meetings of any kind.
For users of the Financial Management Support Services
- Payroll service
We will do our upmost to provide you with information to pay your staff and HMRC on time, as normal. In case we were too low on staff to do this, and we could not process your timesheets on time, we advise you to do the following:
- If your staff have worked the same hours as the previous month, when we have provided you with the correct salary figures, you should pay them the same amount.
- If their working hours have increased from the previous month, you should still pay them the same amount as the month before and settle the difference later when we provide you with the correct figures.
- If the hours have decreased you should pay the number of hours at the minimum wage rate £ 8.21 (until 5th April 2020) and/or £8.72 (from 6th April 2020) and settle the difference later when we provide you with the correct figures; e.g. if your staff have worked 50 hours, you should pay them
50 X 8.21 = £410.50 (to the 5th April)
50 X 8.72 = £436 (from 6th April 2020)
- In relation to HMRC – you should pay the same amount as you’ve paid the month before.
I would like to clarify that this should be done only as an emergency response if we are unable to deliver the service as usual.
- Financial management support service (or enhanced financial management service)
We will do our upmost to pay your staff on time with the right amount. If, however, we were too low on staff to process your timesheets on time, we will follow the payroll process as described above and pay your staff and HMRC accordingly.
For users of the Independent Living Service
The Independent Living Team is doing as much as possible to provide continuity of service. However, in line with Government advice, they are cancelling any visits and will have no direct contact with service users until further notice. Meanwhile independent living officers will continue to communicate with service users as much as possible by email or by phone.
For users of the Grapevine Disability Information Service (in Edinburgh only)
The service will do its upmost to keep its phone line open, although it may be reduced at some point. Meanwhile the service will continue its on line service. Face-to- face support for benefit interviews are now cancelled until further notice.
For users of the SDS programme
Previous participants in the project will be contacted personally. We can confirm, however, that all in person workshops and meetings are cancelled until further notice. We hope to have some virtual groups running soon.
We are sorry about the current and potential disruption of the services we normally provide and we hope you understand that this in order to minimise greater and longer impact of the current Coronavirus /COVID-19 situation
With kind regards,
Florence Garabedian, CEO