Almost 11,000 local jobs supported by Government

Photo: HM Treasury

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak

Just 11% of eligible jobs in the Rochdale borough have been supported by the furlough scheme as of 30 November, the latest figures from government show.

Launched in 2020, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – also known as furlough – and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) are run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), as part of a package of support measures for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

At the start of the pandemic, almost 24,000 local jobs were furloughed.

As of 30 November 2020, 10,800 roles had been furloughed: 5,600 in the Heywood and Middleton parliamentary constituency, and 5,200 in the Rochdale constituency.

This period covered the national restrictions from 5 November to 2 December in which non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues were closed.

The total number of jobs furloughed in the UK at the end of November stood at 3.87million, compared with 8.8million jobs furloughed in mid-April 2020.

The furlough figures provided by HMRC is a total of roles that are being furloughed full time and those whose employers are utilising the flexible furlough scheme.
 

Read more: Over 37,400 local jobs supported by governmentPublished: 25 August 2020

The third SEISS grant which closed on 29 January has financially supported 6,500 self-employed individuals in the borough of Rochdale with over £15million being paid out up to 30 November 2020.

For the Heywood and Middleton constituency, there has been a 63% take up, with a 66% take up rate in the Rochdale constituency.

Of the 4,900 people eligible for SEISS in Heywood and Middleton, 3,100 claims have been made to the value of £8.4million, an average of £2,700 per individual.

Similar figures are seen in the Rochdale constituency: 3,400 claims have been made to the value of £7.4million with an average claim of £2,200.

The Government has not confirmed when applications will open for SEISS grant four, and currently it is not known how much the grant will be worth. The government has said that details about the fourth grant will be announced on 3 March 2021 which is the date of the Chancellor's next budget statement.