The 60-year-old told the mayors that her income alongside her eldest son’s income from a low-paid job means she is unable to receive Universal Credit. Her younger son is a full-time student so has been unable to claim Universal Credit and has also lost his job at a gym due to the pandemic.
She said: “There will be a job for me, I’m viable, I’m very able. I just needed a bridge from March to the other side of Covid which they have given everyone else. But it’s not there for me. I feel very discriminated against.”
I just needed a bridge from March to the other side of Covid which they have given everyone else. But it’s not there for me
Meanwhile, Zoe, a freelance theatre stage manager, broke down in tears as she told how the pandemic had taken its toll on her young family. She described how she was on maternity leave prior to the pandemic but is not eligible for support because of her earnings in previous years.
The impact on the theatre and live music industries – her partner working in the latter – means that Zoe’s young family are now selling up and leaving London to make ends meet. She said: “We’re moving in with my parents which isn’t ideal. In fact it’s quite demoralising at the age of 39 and 45 but it is the only financially safe thing to do for us and our son.”
In the letter, Khan, Burnham and Rotherham called for Sunak to “rectify the significant gaps in the self-employed scheme” and urged reform so “less people are excluded” as well as calling for Universal Credit change to make the “main safety net work better”.
Khan said: “It’s never been more important for Mancunians, Liverpudlians and Londoners to unite to ask for a fair and equitable response to this crisis from the government. The shameful treatment of the three million is a national disgrace.”
It will cost lives, businesses and the economy in the long run if we don’t do something
Burnham added: “I’ve always believed in putting in more than I take out and that goes from everyone on this call, that is the kind of people we have heard from. People not politics, Chancellor, please do the right thing.”
When asked about the cost to the Treasury, Rotherham responded by saying: “It will cost lives, businesses and the economy in the long run if we don’t do something. That’s the alternative. Doing nothing is not an option.”
However, a Treasury spokesperson acknowledged that “not everyone has been helped in the way they would have wanted”.
“Our Self Employment Income Support Scheme is one of the most generous in the world.
“We’ve acknowledged that not everyone has been helped in the way they would have wanted, but overall the Government has provided a huge amount to help businesses and families through this crisis.”
The Big Issue is fighting the housing and unemployment crisis through the Ride Out Recession Alliance, bringing together the most innovative ideas and experts to help keep people in work and in their homes during the recession.
If you have a story to tell about the economic impact of the pandemic or have an idea which might help, email rora@bigissue.com.
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