Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has hailed the Conservative Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has a huge success after it was revealed 52,500 jobs across Milton Keynes were protected by Furlough during the pandemic.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the scheme in March last year to protect people's livelihoods as COVID-19 forced the UK into lockdown as part of his commitment to 'do whatever it takes' to support individuals, businesses and the most vulnerable throughout the crisis.
With the country now re-opening with more than 45,000,000 people across the country double vaccinated against the virus the Furlough Scheme came to an end this month and millions of workers had already moved off the scheme. In fact as 260,000 left the CJRS in August, statistics show that notifications for redundancies in the same month were 12,687, the lowest level in seven years.
The Government is now focusing on its Plan For Jobs to ensure the UK builds back better from coronavirus by giving people the skills they need for a successful career and showing that work is the best way out of poverty with a high skill, high wage economy.
Ben Everitt MP commented: "The Furlough Scheme has been a lifeline for so many people and businesses across the country over the last year-and-a-half and it's just incredible to see it protected 52,500 jobs right here in Milton Keynes.
"As we heard in the Prime Minister's speech now we must build back better and we are determined to do that by levelling up skills, wages and opportunity. Milton Keynes can be at the heart of the UK's recovery from coronavirus with our strong business community and hard working, innovative population."
The Government's Plan For Jobs is already helping thousands of people into work and apprenticeships:
- 63,000 young people have started their Kickstart job;
- Restart will help over a million long-term unemployed people on Universal Credit;
- More than 80,000 apprentices have been newly hired under our new incentive payments;
- More than 138,000 people have benefitted from the Job Entry Targeted Support, and; *An average of 1,200 job seekers per week enrolling on a Sector-based Work Academy Programmes.
