By Isle of Wight Observer
MP Bob Seely has welcomed the Government’s decision to enable thousands more workers to be furloughed.
The Treasury’s decision to amend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – where employers can claim a grant covering 80 per cent of the wages for a furloughed employee up to a cap of £2,500 a month – will see the number of people eligible to be furloughed increased.
Under the scheme announced by the Chancellor last month, individuals had to be employed on 28 February 2020 but new guidance published yesterday (15 April) has confirmed the eligibility date has been extended to 19 March 2020 – the day before the scheme was announced.
The change to the scheme – expected to be operational next week – means employers will be able to claim for furloughed employees that were employed and on their PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020.
Bob said: “This is very welcome news. We need to keep as many incomes ticking over as possible and support businesses to keep going through this very difficult period.
“The support to allow employers to furlough staff will help more businesses to be ready to resume their operations as quickly as possible once we emerge from lockdown.”
If any employer now thinks they are eligible for support, they can find out more by clicking here.
Isle of Wight Observer