20 April 2021

This update covers:

  • Northern Ireland: hair and beauty to reopen.
  • NHBF state of the industry survey reveals fragile future for hair and beauty.
  • Scotland: NHBF lobbying leads to face covering review.
  • VAT deferral: new payment scheme.
  • Scotland: webinar for women in business.
  • Lockdown dates across the four nations.

Northern Ireland: hair and beauty to reopen

Hair and beauty businesses in Northern Ireland (including mobile) can reopen strictly by appointment only from Friday, 23 April 2021. See more on this below. 

NHBF state of the industry survey reveals fragile future for hair and beauty

Following its latest state of the industry survey, the NHBF is calling for a prolonged period of stability in order for hair & beauty businesses to have a fighting chance of recovery. The survey found that  the sector remains divided about the future with 46 per cent of respondents unsure if their business will survive until the end of social distancing. Read the full press release. 

Scotland: NHBF lobbying leads to face covering review

Urgent lobbying by the NHBF has led to a review of face covering requirements for clients in Scotland.

Currently, the guidance for Scotland states: ‘services that require a face covering to be removed should not be offered or performed’.

This rule will stay in place for now, but the Scottish Government has confirmed in a letter to the NHBF that this decision will now be reviewed. It is expected that the review will carried out by mid-May. 

VAT deferral: new payment scheme 

If you deferred VAT payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 you can:

  • Pay the deferred VAT in full now.
  • Join the VAT deferral new payment scheme – the online service is open between 23 February 2021 and 21 June 2021.
  • Contact HMRC on 0800 024 1222 by 30 June 2021 if you need extra help to pay.

Find out more on the government website. 

Scotland: webinar for women in business

Join Business Gateway for a webinar on 27 April 2021 offering specific support and advice for women in Scotland starting up or running businesses. Find out more. 

Lockdown dates across the four nations

England: ‘Personal care premises’ including hairdressers, salons and close contact services were allowed to open in step two of the roadmap on 12 April 2021. 

This includes mobile businesses. Mobile businesses should follow the guidance for working in other people’s homes as well as the England guidance.

Saunas and steam rooms cannot open until step 3 of the roadmap which is due to start no earlier than 17 May, and at least five weeks after step 2. Find out more on the government website. Download a pdf of the full roadmap.  

Wales: All hair and beauty businesses, including mobile, were allowed to open from 12 April 2021. 

The latest Welsh guidance was updated on 9 April 2021. Mobile businesses must also follow the guidance for working in other people’s homes. 

Scotland: Hairdressers and barbers in Scotland were allowed to open on an appointment-only basis from 5 April 2021. A further announcement is expected today, 20 April 2021. 

All shops (including salons) can now offer click and collect-by-appointment retail services.

Beauty salons and mobile hair and beauty services cannot open yet. 

The following will remain at level 3: 

  • Orkney.
  • Shetland.
  • The following islands within Argyll and Bute: Coll, Colonsay, Erraid, Gometra, Iona, Islay, Jura, Mull, Oronsay, Tiree, and Ulva.
  • All islands in Highland, with the exception of Skye.

In these areas:

  • Salons and barbershops can open.
  • Mobile hairdressing and barbering can operate.
  • Close contact services delivered from a salon, shop or other static site such as a home treatment room can operate. 
  • All other types of mobile close contact services including beauty are not permitted. 

Northern Ireland: Hair and beauty businesses in Northern Ireland (including mobile) can reopen strictly by appointment only from Friday, 23 April 2021.

Businesses will also be required to collect customer details to help with the Test, Trace, Protect contact tracing programme.

We understand that the guidance for close contact working will be updated to include more details about how businesses should be operating. The guidance was last updated on 20 November 2020.

For more information visit the Northern Ireland website.

Find out more about lockdowns across the four nations. 

See all updates