Self-employed people in Swindon and Wiltshire receive £53million boost in second grant scheme

• 19,500 people in the county have accessed support via the second tranche of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
• Meanwhile, over 90,000 workers in the South West returned to their jobs part-time in the first month of the flexible furlough scheme

New statistics released this weekend show the huge government support for self-employed workers in Swindon and Wiltshire.

19,500 people in the county have accessed £53million worth of grants via the second tranche of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

These grants do not need to be paid back and will help to cover lost earnings.

North Swindon topped the local constituency table with £9.2million, followed by South West Wiltshire (£8.2million), Salisbury (£7.6million) and South Swindon (£7.5million).

This is in addition to the support given to self-employed workers via the first tranche of the scheme – worth £81million in Swindon and Wiltshire.

Self-employed people have had six months of income support during the coronavirus pandemic – one of the most generous schemes in the world:

·       A first grant, covering up to 80% of average monthly profits, was made available for March to May

·       A second grant, covering up to 70% of average monthly profits, was made available for June to August

Throughout the pandemic, the government has provided a huge and unprecedented package of economic support to protect lives and livelihoods, worth more than £160billion.

Meanwhile, new figures show that over 90,000 workers in the South West returned to their jobs part-time in the first month of the flexible furlough scheme.

The scheme, introduced on 1 July, gives businesses the flexibility to bring employees back part-time, with the government paying 80% of their wages for the hours not worked.

Since the start of the pandemic, the furlough scheme has protected 808,900 jobs in the South West.

By 31 July, 357,500 people were on furlough – 266,900 full-time and 90,600 part-time.

It means 44% of those furloughed had returned to work full-time by the end of July.