Responding to the latest provisional Government estimates showing that 9% of all eligible employments in London were still furloughed at the end of June, Labour’s London Assembly Economy Spokesperson, Marina Ahmad AM, said:
“We might be seeing a declining trend when it comes to the number of people on furlough across the country, but these estimates show that the scheme is still providing a lifeline for many thousands of Londoners.
“In just a few days’ time, we will see Government support for the scheme drop again and this could put further significant pressure on the capital’s struggling businesses- particularly in the hospitality and culture sectors.
“It looks more and more likely that a blanket end to the furlough scheme at the end of September could push some businesses off a cliff-edge and throw a spanner in the works of our economic recovery. This is why a tailored extension should be kept on the table for certain sectors.
“I am also concerned that the changes could lead to a surge in redundancies, so the Government must not go ahead with scrapping the Universal Credit uplift in October as planned and waste no time in accelerating its job creation and retraining schemes”.
ENDS