Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement to extend the furlough scheme and increase support for the self-employed and said these extended measures will be a huge relief to the many workers in the Vale of Clwyd who have been worried about their futures.
Yesterday, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed that workers across the United Kingdom will benefit from increased support with a five-month extension of the furlough scheme into Spring 2021,with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked.
Similarly, support for millions more workers through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be increased, with the third grant covering November to January calculated at 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500.
He also announced that the Welsh Government funding guarantee will be given a £600 million uplift, taking the total support passed on to the devolved administration to £5 billion since March.
James said:
“Sadly, we are still living in extremely challenging times and in recent weeks, due to the latest lockdown and restrictions, I have been contacted by workers and businesses in the Vale of Clwyd worried about how they were going to survive the months ahead. Yesterday’s announcement will therefore come as a huge relief to them.
“The furlough scheme was initially extended until December 2, so I am extremely pleased that the government is now going further so that support can be put in place for long enough to help businesses recover and get back on their feet – as well as giving them the certainty they need in coming months. Evidence from the first lockdown showed that the economic effects are much longer lasting for businesses than the duration of restrictions.
“I also very much welcome the Chancellor’s generous £600 million uplift to the Welsh Government to further help protect jobs and communities during this pandemic.
“All this additional support will undoubtedly take the pressure off many workers, providing them with stability for the foreseeable future."
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
“I’ve always said I would do whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK - and that has meant adapting our support as the path of the virus has changed.
“Extending furlough and increasing our support for the self-employed will protect millions of jobs and give people and businesses the certainty they need over what will be a difficult winter.”
