Shrewsbury MP writes to chancellor in call for help for self-employed
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has called for financial help for the self-employed "as a matter of urgency" amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Kawczynski has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak after many concerned constituents got in touch, worried that they would not be able to access money until June at the earliest.
Last week Mr Sunak announced a self-employed income support scheme worth a maximum of £2,500 a month, which would cover 95 per cent of workers, but the Shrewsbury MP is concerned several people are slipping through the cracks.
In the letter, he wrote: "Individuals are in crisis now and, on behalf of my constituents, I seek your assurance that access to funds will be made available as a matter of urgency.
"I understand that HMRC have started to make contact with individuals and are informing them that they will be accepting applications in June. What is unclear is exactly when funding will be made available and if people have to wait until June, what help is available to get them through April and May 2020.
"Individuals who are in extreme hardship have informed me that they are having difficulty in accessing Universal Credit and others that are exploring the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme are being directed to portals that don’t exist and websites which are under construction."
He added: "What is also unclear is what help is available for those that are self-employed that do not have three years’ worth of books or people that had previously worked through temporary employment agencies that have been let go. What do I suggest to my constituents that are struggling to provide for their families at this time?
"In the same vain, there is concern for businesses that have just paid their March payroll, but many will struggle in April. There needs to be assurance that money will be available for employers to pay their staff.
"I have previously suggested to Secretary of State for Business that HMRC could use the existing relationship via the PAYE system to simply inject a sum to all companies to keep them afloat. Without this real injection of cash many businesses will fail before the end of April with consequential unemployment.
"These concerns are being echoed throughout the country and I look forward to receiving your reassurance that we have procedures in place to ensure that financial support will shortly be available to all."
