Many sectors dismayed by lack of help

Rishi sunak’s mini-Budget was welcomed by many – but others were dismayed by the issues on which the Chancellor was silent.

There was lots of help for pubs and restaurants – but what about the struggling high street?

There was nothing for the hundreds of thousands of self-employed whose livelihoods have been devastated.

And what about that perennial Cinderella service – social care – on the day Boris Johnson refused to apologise for appearing to blame care homes for the failure to stem the outbreak of coronavirus.

it had been rumoured that the Chancellor was planning to give every adult a £500 voucher to spend on the high street.

The idea had been put forward by a think tank to help revive the economy by getting people spending again.

Although non-essential shops have reopened, only around half the number of shopping trips are being made – leading to fears of the long-term survival of shops.

The Resolution Foundation’s plan would have enabled adults to spend the vouchers in bricks-and-mortar stores (not online) – and even in pubs and restaurants.

But in the end there was no such help for the retail sector.

instead, all that Mr sunak announced was the ‘eat out to help out’ scheme offering £10 discounts for meals in pubs and restaurants. high street shops will have to struggle on.

And while around 800,000 people have been supported through the UK Government furlough scheme, the Chancellor was accused of letting down millions of ‘forgotten’ freelance and self-employed workers by not providing any extra help for them in his speech.

Many workers now face a ‘cliff edge’ next month because of lack of support, unions and trade bodies warned.

Although the Government had some help for freelance workers, many were left out in the cold because the scheme was limited.

it promised to match 80 per cent of earnings based on three years’ worth of tax returns. But this offered no help for those who had only just gone self-employed.

And it did not help those whose freelance earnings were less than half of their total.

Andy Chamberlain, of the Association of independent Professionals and the self-Employed, said: ‘While the Chancellor has announced a measured and sensible end to the employee furlough scheme in October, freelancers are left to face a cliff-edge in August.

‘some freelancers relying on the self-Employment income support scheme (SEISS) may benefit from the sectoral support announced today, but many more will not.’

it is not just those on the ground feeling the pinch. Those in the airline industry criticised the mini-Budget for failing to mention their plight.

Carriers have been devastated by lockdowns imposed throughout the world, and some are facing bankruptcy.

The number of international flights made in April was down 80 per cent on the month’s total for a year before, and airlines are bracing themselves for a revenue plunge of more than 50 per cent.