CSP is part of a coalition that is urging the government to provide financial support to self-employed professionals and small businesses, who may be struggling to keep afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The society has signed a joint letter, in collaboration with Physio First, The British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and 13 other membership bodies, to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
It highlights that many small businesses are being ‘overlooked’ by the government’s existing support schemes, and it points out ‘worrying gaps’ in the current provision of funding for businesses affected by Covid-19 – which it says have led to many self-employed professionals facing long delays or barriers to accessing financial help.
As a result, the joint letter urgently calls on the government to allow the directors of small businesses to have access to either the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) or the upcoming Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
This, the letter explains, would speed up the process of delivering SEISS funds and make the process of accessing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs) much smoother.
Support for self-employed not available until June
The chancellor announced plans for SEISS funding last month, and the scheme is due to go live in June.
However, the coalition's letter argues that: ‘For many small businesses, June is simply too late while other business owners who pay themselves minimal salaries need to have dividends treated differently.
The chancellor promised he would do “whatever it takes” yet, sadly, too many businesses are being left behind…
‘We hope this diverse coalition of voices can use our collective strength to convince the chancellor to be true to his word and amend the existing schemes to cover and support all of these vital businesses and services that need it.’
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