Support for 25,000 jobs from the UK Government

THE UK Government has supported the wages of 25,000 jobs across Carmarthenshire since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) were announced by the chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak.

They are run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), as part of a package of support measures for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses have furloughed 18,000 jobs in Carmarthenshire, up to the end of May, since the CJRS was launched in April.

An announcement was made last month that the scheme will run until the end of October to continue the support for jobs and businesses as people return to work.

The SEISS was rolled out ahead of schedule in May and has financially supported 7,000 self-employed individuals in Carmarthenshire who have been adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak and paid grants worth a total of £17,500,000 up to 31 May 2020.

The chancellor has announced an extension to this scheme and those eligible to claim the grant will be able to claim a second and final grant in August of up to £6,750.

Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales and MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: “So far, 316,500 Welsh jobs have been supported by the job retention scheme while £273m has been provided to support 102,000 self-employed people.

“People and businesses in Wales have also benefited from UK-wide schemes such as VAT deferral, company loans and Universal Credit, while the Welsh Government has been allocated an additional £2.2 billion in direct coronavirus funding.”

Mr Sunak said: “The UK Government is doing everything we can to protect jobs and businesses in Wales and across the UK during the crisis. Our unprecedented job retention and self-employment support schemes have supported the livelihoods of millions and will help ensure our recovery is as swift as possible.”