BRITAIN will extend the furlough scheme for FOUR months until the end of October, the Chancellor said today.
After August the scheme will continue – but be able to pay people part time.
Rishi Sunak set out changes to the furlough scheme today
And he will expect businesses to start chipping in, too, to change the huge burden on the taxpayer.
The scheme is currently paying 6.5 million workers 80 per cent of their wages – up to a limit of £2,500 per month.
The Federation of Small Businesses have long-campaigned for employers to furlough staff part-time. FSB boss Mike Cherry said last night: “The vast majority of small employers have furloughed staff and they’re telling us loud and clear that the ability to do so on a part-time basis as we move towards recovery will be key to keeping their operations afloat. For firms that don’t have the green light to open until July at the very earliest in particular, we need to see schemes extended significantly – not least the job retention scheme.”
Treasury Committee chairman Mel Stride suggested a “tapering down” of the furloughing scheme to protect jobs and ease the burden on the Exchequer.
