Council Leader urges Government to step in to support self-employed

The Leader of the Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan is calling on the central Government to step up support for self-employed people as coronavirus threatens their livelihoods.

Cllr Callaghan has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rushi Sunak MP today, saying Basildon has a large number of self-employed people in a variety of fields who, through no fault of their own, are facing a considerable period of reduced income and hardship.  

Citing the economic importance of the thousands of self-employed people in the Basildon borough Cllr Callaghan asked the Government to take immediate action to include them in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme so that they have a guaranteed basic income.

Read the full letter below.

Image: Basildon Council