‘At times we were so skint food was rationed’
A SINGLE mum has described her struggle to provide for herself and her daughter as a business-owner during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jo Hill, 45, has bravely opened up about relying on food banks and struggling to afford winter clothes for her daughter after a year which has seen her small beauty business face the impossible.
Jo, from Rumney, Cardiff, opened Fuscia Nails and Beauty three years ago after spending years in the industry working for others.
As well as seeing it as a chance to prove herself, for the mother-of-two it was also an opportunity to make a living without having to rely on tax credits for extra support.
But as someone who does not yet make the majority of her income through self-employment, and with only two years of profit on the books, Jo says she is not eligible for government support available for small businesses such as hers.
It means that after months of being forced to close over lockdown, any money she does earn now goes straight to making sure she can cover essentials like food and bills.
Jo, mother to 12-year-old Nia as well as a 25-year-old son, said: “I’ve been in a really difficult position. I’ve been paying ongoing business bills and household bills with the little bit of tax credits I have.
“I’m self-employed but I was running at a loss when I started so I have only got two years’ worth of books and they wouldn’t accept that.
“Through the first lockdown I didn’t earn anything, I wasn’t entitled to anything. Then there was local lockdown. I would go three days and then someone would come in and have a wax for £12. With the firebreak [lockdown] I was just beside myself.
“The money I have earned I have had to use for food for myself and my daughter. She’s growing like a beanpole, I couldn’t afford to buy her shoes over lockdown.
“At times we were so skint food was rationed, I’ve had to be really careful. I’ve relied on food banks, borrowed to pay bills. I don’t get free school meal vouchers and I’m not on Universal Credit.”
On November 5, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the furlough scheme would continue in England until the end of March 2021, with funding also guaranteed in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
At the time, Welsh Secretary Simon Hart, said the extension of the scheme would provide “certainty” to businesses across the country.
For Jo, however, her situation means the support in place makes no difference, although she is thankful for the loyal customers she now considers her “family”.
She said: “In March I had big plans for the business to do bigger treatments. I wanted to pay myself more of a wage and come off tax credits altogether. Eventually I wanted a little shop rather than a studio, I wanted to advertise for a bit. Everything has ground to a halt.
“I’m a single parent, I haven’t got a back-up. This was make or break for me doing it all up, trying to afford the money to do it up and have it as my main income. I don’t want a bounceback loan as I don’t know what the future holds.
“When the Chancellor announced [support for self-employed businesses] I breathed a massive sigh of relief. I was applying and it would say I’m not entitled, I was quite bewildered. The money should have gone to everybody.
“I’m too scared to spend any money at all since I don’t know what will happen in the future and how long that money will last.
“There have been times I couldn’t afford a food shop, I don’t know if my budget is going to last two weeks, three weeks.
“If my daughter is going to walk home for 45 minutes every day, I have to make sure she has good shoes on her feet, a coat to keep her warm.”
Things came to a head after Jo fell behind on her £250 monthly rent. After receiving a text from her building manager, she claims she was told to leave her premises in Brachdy House – something both her building manager and landlord stress is not the case.
Lee Evans, owner of the building, said tenants were not asked to pay rent when their businesses were forced to close due to lockdown.
He added he had discussed with Jo about splitting her rent for October into payments throughout the month, and that she has not been told to leave the building.
Building manager Matthew Franks said he had contacted the tenant to discuss payment plans to help with any financial difficulty, but had not had any response.