Save the Children's response to Chancellor's announcement on self-employed
2 min read
These measures place self-employed families on a par with employees and will be hugely reassuring to families worried about making ends meet at this difficult time.
Becca Lyon, Head of Child Poverty at Save the Children, said:
“The support package for self-employed people announced by the Chancellor today is hugely welcome, given that many are facing a massive drop in earnings as a result of this crisis. These measures place self-employed families on a par with employees and will be hugely reassuring to families worried about making ends meet at this difficult time.
“The final piece of the puzzle is now to strengthen our social security system to ensure it truly supports families which, despite these measures, will still lose their jobs or see their incomes fall.
“Data released today shows that 4.2 million children are already living in poverty in the UK, and these numbers will only rise without urgent action. The UK government should now look at filling the gaps in the social security system, starting with giving families on Universal Credit help in the form of grants, not loans, to get them through the five-week wait for payment without pushing them into debt.
“We all need to do our bit to support children during these unsettling times. We will continue to work with partners and governments across the UK to ensure that all families get the help they need to get through this crisis.”
