Self-employed hit badly by lockdown

AROUND 700,000 self-employed Britons have stopped working altogether during the current lockdown, research suggests.

The figure, almost one in seven of the total, is a 50% increase from the first lockdown in May, according to the Resolution Foundation.

The think tank said the coronavirus crisis has caused a huge hit to the living standards of self-employed workers. More than two out of five selfemployed workers have experienced a fall in earnings of at least 25% during the current lockdown, the study indicates.

Government support is failing to reach a significant number of selfemployed workers affected by the crisis, said the Resolution Foundation.

Hannah Slaughter, economist at the foundation, said the coronavirus crisis continues to hit the selfemployed hard.

“One in seven workers have stopped working entirely during the current lockdown, and two in five have seen their earnings least a quarter,” she said.

“Eleven months into the crisis, Government support is doing a better job of targeting affected workers, though three in 10 are still missing out on support, despite losing income.

“The Government should extend the eligibility criteria for support to help those who are missing out, as well as clawing back money from workers who received grants during 2020 well in excess of the losses they’ve incurred fall by at during the pandemic.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “Throughout this crisis, we have done all we can to support jobs and livelihoods, spending over £280 billion in response to the pandemic.

“These figures are misleading because they do not take account of how important an element of income comes from self-employment, nor the level of people’s income. Both are important factors in making sure that taxpayers’ money is targeted at those who need it most.”

A NEW S4C Welsh language TV documentary is going to put the spotlight on February 2020, when a month’s worth of rain fell in 48 hours in the Rhondda Valley and the surrounding area.

In DRYCH: Rhondda Wedi’r Glaw (Rhondda After the Rain) on S4C next Sunday, we meet some of the people who were affected by Storm Dennis as they and their communities try to deal with the terrible events of that night.

We hear the experiences of some of the residents of Lewis Street in Pentre – one of the areas most badly affected by the floods. With the culvert which was supposed to carry the water pouring from the mountains safely past the houses and down to the river becoming blocked, the dirty water and rubble flowed straight to Lewis Street at the bottom of the valley.

The Roderick family has lived on Lewis Street for half a century. Helen Roderick is one of the street’s biggest characters and she runs the bar at the British Legion Club in Pentre. She was one of the first people to notice the water rising.

“The water was very cold and dirty. The electricity had gone off so we had to use the torches on our mobile phones to try to see and save our things. But everything happened so fast, there was nothing we could do.”

According to Jason Crudge who also lives in Lewis Street, everybody was in shock the morning after.

“Nobody knew what to do. Everyone was just looking at each other and starting to realise that something had happened to us all. We were all worried and we were all crying,” said Jason.

Both Helen and Jason said the community pulled together to help those in need.

Helen said: “The community spirit was amazing. People were coming over from the other streets; the Salvation Army came over with food. I was so grateful for all the help – I can never thank them enough.”

DRYCH: Rhondda Wedi’r Glaw. Sunday, February 21, 9pm, S4C. On demand: S4C Clic, iPlayer and other platforms. Rondo production for S4C