As I am sure you will agree, the past few months have been extremely challenging to both our social and working lives. This Government has done everything in its power to form a world-leading economic response to coronavirus, providing a lifeline for millions of people and businesses. Through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, nearly 9 million jobs, at a value of £20 billion, have benefited and in Broxtowe, over ten thousand jobs have been protected through this scheme. Additionally, more than 2 million self-employed people are receiving support through the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, with 2,700 people in Broxtowe already claiming £8.1 million in Government support.
I have taken an active role in ensuring that local people businesses are fully supported during these testing times. Championing local business, and addressing concerns, is essential to this. This is why I attended a virtual event with the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce earlier this month and will be partaking in a virtual event with the Federation of Small Businesses on the 22nd June at 10am. Furthermore, I have been incredibly pleased to see that in response to actively lobbying the government for more support for businesses who were not eligible for other schemes, Broxtowe Borough Council has announced that applications for a Discretionary Business Grant are now live! To apply for a grant from a pot of over £880,000 click here. For those who are self-employed in Broxtowe, I wrote to the Treasury for more detail about the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, the response can be found here.
As we move through the second stage of our roadmap to recovery, this Government is determined to kick-start the engine of our economy while continuing to provide flexible support to those who need it. We will do everything we can to ensure people can pay their bills and put food on the table – as people continue to stay alert, to control the virus and save lives.
If you require any additional support, do not hesitate to contact me.