APSCo responds to latest lockdown and business support package

Following Boris Johnson’s confirmation of a return to national lockdown and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a fresh £4.6 billion support package for struggling UK companies, Tania Bowers, Legal Counsel and Head of Public Policy at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), has commented:

“Given the increasing rise in COVID numbers that we’ve seen reported in recent weeks it perhaps comes as no surprise that the Prime Minister has announced a return to national lockdown. However, we truly hope that lessons have been learnt from the last year and that access to additional and adequate support will be made swiftly available.”

“While the Chancellor’s statement today that an additional £4.6 billion of funding will be made available to those organisations that are struggling in light of tougher restrictions is reassuring, the bulk of the finances are being allocated to industries such as hospitality, retail and leisure. It’s critical for the UK’s economy that all impacted companies have access to the requisite financial support - including staffing businesses who are facing incredible financial strain as hiring continues to be impacted. There is also an essential need for further clarity surrounding the remit of local authority grants. The eligibility rules that have applied to these in the past have presented a significant barrier to some recruitment businesses and this simply cannot happen again.”

“The speed of access to this funding is also key and APSCo will continue to lobby Government to ensure those set to be heavily impacted by this latest news receive support packages swiftly in order to limit the potential damage as much as possible.”