Government must act on jobs

THE furlough and self-employment support schemes brought in by the Government at the height of the pandemic offered a lifeline to many whose jobs and livelihoods were at risk. They were not perfect by any means – they were full of gaps that unfairly excluded three million people – but their replacement schemes, announced by the Chancellor last month, are significantly worse.

The replacement for furlough, the Jobs Support Scheme, makes mass redundancies in businesses that are currently unable to reopen, such as those in the events sector, almost inevitable. It is not that they don’t want to return to work; they can’t.

To benefit from the Jobs Support Scheme, employees must work some of their contracted hours. This still isn’t possible in many businesses. Employers have their hands tied and are going to have to make redundancies to balance the books. This is entirely avoidable; it was purely a political choice for the Chancellor to consign these jobs to the scrapheap. The Chancellor says he will protect all ‘viable’ jobs. What isn’t viable about theatres, music venues, or conferences? Surely, we will want these businesses up and running when we return to some sense of normality? Especially in a city like Bristol with such a great cultural scene? The Chancellor doesn’t seem to think so. The events sector is a huge employer in my constituency.

I’ve been in correspondence with several exhibition companies, some of which are on the verge of collapse. Exhibitions and conferences have been back in parts of Europe for some time now, but not in the UK, where there is no apparent end in sight.

I recently asked the Business Secretary what support he intends to give these companies and also wrote to the Chancellor to ask how he expects these businesses to avoid having to make mass redundancies.

I received a very poor response from the Business Secretary, and I’m yet to receive a response from the Chancellor.

Soon, employees of the events sector are going to face the same reality as the three million ‘excluded’.

New starters, limited companies, and people who had been self-employed for less than a year received no support from the Government and have had to rely on Universal Credit to get by. This comes amid rumours that the Chancellor intends to cut Universal Credit at the next budget, which can’t be allowed to happen. With a recession looming, people need disposable income.

Taking money out of the pockets of the poorest in society will harm them and our wider economy. People are losing their livelihoods through no fault of their own.

At a time of national crisis like this, it’s only right that the Government should step in to support them.