The Chancellor has ducked Labour calls to explain what he is doing
to support businesses and communities in areas under Covid-19
restrictions. Labour analysis released this week shows that nearly
a million people are still on furlough in areas of the country
subject to local restrictions or on the government watch list.
Without an economic package to protect businesses and jobs, they
face a jobs cliff edge when the furlough scheme ends in a few
weeks’ time. Yesterday the...Request free trial
The Chancellor has ducked Labour calls to explain what he is
doing to support businesses and communities in areas under
Covid-19 restrictions.
Labour analysis released this week shows that nearly a million
people are still on furlough in areas of the country subject to
local restrictions or on the government watch list. Without an
economic package to protect businesses and jobs, they face a jobs
cliff edge when the furlough scheme ends in a few weeks’ time.
Yesterday the Chancellor did not even acknowledge the existence
of additional restrictions covering 17 million people in the UK,
in his speech to Conservative Party Conference.
Responding to Labour’s Urgent Question today, Chief Secretary to
the Treasury Steven Barclay dodged questions on whether any plans
were afoot to provide targeted financial support for areas under
localised restrictions.
To date, government support to local areas has only ever come
after restrictions have been imposed. When pressed today by Dodds
to deliver support hand in hand with the imposition of new
restrictions in the future, Barclay made no commitment.
, Labour’s
Shadow Chancellor, said:
“After the Chancellor blew another chance to get a grip on
Britain’s job crisis yesterday, we forced him to come to the
Commons to explain himself today – but instead he sent his
deputy.
“Yet again we’ve been met with a wall of silence from a
Chancellor who is leaving millions to sink or swim through one of
the greatest challenges in our lifetime – especially the 17
million people living under additional restrictions.
“Britain faces an unemployment crisis the likes of which we
haven’t seen in decades - and it has Rishi Sunak’s name all over
it.”
Notes
- HMRC provides data on cumulative employments furloughed by
local authority, which shows that 3.5m employments have been
furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in local
areas now under local restrictions or on the amber watch-list
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020
- Nationally, the Resolution Foundation estimates that 2.7m
employments were furloughed across the UK in mid-September,
compared to a total of 9.6m employments furloughed cumulatively
nationally
https://twitter.com/resfoundation/status/1311679366749917186
- This suggests that 28% of cumulative employments furloughed
remain furloughed in mid-September. Applying this to areas under
local restrictions or under the amber watch-list currently,
suggests that 1m (977k) employments remained furloughed in these
areas in mid-Septembe
- Contain framework Local authority Watchlist, 1 October 2020
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/923905/Contain_Watchlist-v2.pdf
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Areas of intervention
|
|
|
County and district / unitary authority
|
Estimated numbers on furlough
mid-September
|
|
Birmingham
|
43,900
|
|
Blackburn with Darwen UA
|
5,700
|
|
Blackpool UA
|
5,900
|
|
Bolton
|
11,500
|
|
Bradford
|
19,000
|
|
Burnley
|
3,800
|
|
Bury
|
7,800
|
|
Calderdale
|
8,200
|
|
Chorley
|
4,600
|
|
County Durham UA
|
19,400
|
|
Fylde
|
2,800
|
|
Gateshead
|
8,300
|
|
Halton UA
|
4,900
|
|
Hartlepool UA
|
3,100
|
|
Hyndburn
|
3,300
|
|
Kirklees
|
17,400
|
|
Knowsley
|
6,200
|
|
Lancaster
|
5,100
|
|
Leeds
|
31,300
|
|
Leicester UA
|
15,300
|
|
Liverpool
|
18,200
|
|
Manchester
|
22,500
|
|
Middlesbrough UA
|
4,600
|
|
Newcastle upon Tyne
|
11,000
|
|
North Tyneside
|
7,800
|
|
Northumberland UA
|
11,700
|
|
Oadby and Wigston
|
2,300
|
|
Oldham
|
9,000
|
|
Pendle
|
4,100
|
|
Preston
|
5,300
|
|
Ribble Valley
|
2,600
|
|
Rochdale
|
8,200
|
|
Rossendale
|
2,800
|
|
Salford
|
11,900
|
|
Sandwell
|
14,200
|
|
Sefton
|
9,800
|
|
Solihull
|
9,600
|
|
South Ribble
|
4,200
|
|
South Tyneside
|
5,800
|
|
St. Helens
|
6,700
|
|
Stockport
|
11,900
|
|
Sunderland
|
11,100
|
|
Tameside
|
9,800
|
|
Trafford
|
9,200
|
|
Warrington UA
|
8,500
|
|
West Lancashire
|
4,100
|
|
Wigan
|
12,800
|
|
Wirral
|
11,300
|
|
Wolverhampton
|
10,500
|
|
Wyre
|
4,000
|
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Areas of enhanced support or concern
|
|
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County and district / unitary authority
|
Estimated numbers on furlough
mid-September
|
|
Barking and Dagenham
|
9,400
|
|
Barnet
|
17,100
|
|
Barrow-in-Furness
|
2,200
|
|
Bexley
|
9,600
|
|
Blaby
|
4,500
|
|
Brent
|
17,700
|
|
Bromley
|
12,200
|
|
Camden
|
7,700
|
|
Cheshire East UA
|
15,500
|
|
Cheshire West And Chester UA
|
14,800
|
|
Croydon
|
16,000
|
|
Darlington UA
|
4,000
|
|
Ealing
|
18,100
|
|
Enfield
|
14,800
|
|
Greenwich
|
11,700
|
|
Hackney
|
12,400
|
|
Hammersmith and Fulham
|
8,200
|
|
Haringey
|
15,200
|
|
Harrow
|
10,800
|
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Havering
|
10,200
|
|
Hillingdon
|
14,600
|
|
Hounslow
|
15,600
|
|
Islington
|
8,500
|
|
Kensington and Chelsea
|
4,400
|
|
Kingston upon Thames
|
6,700
|
|
Lambeth
|
15,800
|
|
Lewisham
|
13,500
|
|
Luton UA
|
9,200
|
|
Merton
|
9,200
|
|
Newham
|
19,300
|
|
Redbridge
|
13,000
|
|
Redcar and Cleveland UA
|
4,600
|
|
Richmond upon Thames
|
6,700
|
|
Rotherham
|
10,500
|
|
Scarborough
|
4,800
|
|
Selby
|
3,800
|
|
Southwark
|
14,800
|
|
Stockton-on-Tees UA
|
7,100
|
|
Sutton
|
8,000
|
|
Tower Hamlets
|
13,400
|
|
Wakefield
|
14,200
|
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Waltham Forest
|
14,000
|
|
Wandsworth
|
13,300
|
|
Westminster and City of London
|
7,800
|
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