Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak has today announced that the UK scheme (furlough scheme) to pay the wages of employees on leave because of coronavirus has been extended to October.
He confirmed that the scheme would offer employees 80% of their monthly wage up until July, but then will ask businesses to share the cost of the scheme from August.
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “I’m pleased that the Chancellor has listened and extended the furlough scheme for millions of employees in the UK. This extension provides the certainty I called for to ensure that employees and businesses do not see support cut off sharply.
“I urge the Government to ensure the end of the scheme is a flexible as possible to provide a smooth transition for businesses and workers across South Yorkshire, and that the Chancellor considers extending support if necessary – particularly for vulnerable sectors if this is needed.
“The Government must now begin to work with Mayors to ensure we build not just a strong recovery, but renewal for our economy. A significant stimulus must be at the heart of this, to tackle deep-seated problems in our society and economy. Going back to the status quo is simply not an option, and we must seize this opportunity to fix our infrastructure, unlock the region’s potential and deliver a green new deal for the economy and environment.”
