New statistics showing the huge Government support to self-employed workers in the Vale of Clwyd have been welcomed by local MP Dr James Davies.
1,800 self-employed people in the Vale of Clwyd have accessed £4,300,000 worth of Government grants through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme’s second tranche. These grants do not need to be paid back and will help to cover lost earnings.
This is in addition to the support given to self-employed workers through the first grant – worth £6,500,000 in the Vale of Clwyd.
Self-employed people have had six months of income support during the coronavirus pandemic – one of the most generous schemes in the world.
- A first grant, covering up to 80 per cent of average monthly profits was made available for March-May
- There has been a second grant covering up to 70 per cent of average monthly profits, available for June-August.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Conservative Government has provided a huge and unprecedented package of economic support to protect both lives and livelihoods – worth more than £160 billion.
Commenting, James said:
“I know this year has been hugely challenging for self-employed workers in the Vale of Clwyd and these latest figures demonstrate the scale of support that the Conservative Government has put in place to support their livelihoods.
“Never has the Conservatives’ agenda to level up the whole county been so important – giving our entrepreneurs the confidence they need as they look ahead to the future.”
Meanwhile, James has also welcomed new figures which show that nearly a million workers, 20 per cent of those furloughed nationally, returned to their jobs part-time in the first month flexible furlough was introduced – including 42,300 in Wales
Flexible furlough began on the 1st July - giving businesses the flexibility to bring employees back part-time, with the government paying 80 per cent of their wages for the hours not worked.
The furlough scheme has protected more than 9.6 million jobs across the UK since the scheme launched earlier this year, including 400,800 in Wales.
In addition to people returning part-time, figures released earlier this week show that more than half of all people furloughed in May have already returned to work full-time. At the schemes peak in May, 30 per cent of the workforce across the UK was furloughed. The share of the workforce furloughed fell by more than half to 11 per cent by mid-August.
Commenting, James said:
“It’s fantastic to see so many businesses opening their doors again and returning their furloughed staff back on either a full-time or part-time basis.
“The furlough scheme has been hugely successful in the Vale of Clwyd – protecting jobs which may otherwise have been at risk. Now, as we move into the next phase of our response to coronavirus, we want to help employers keep people on. Our Job Retention Bonus will do exactly that, supporting businesses to do the right thing.”
