Burnley MP welcomes latest figures highlighting scale of Government support for people and businesses

A total of 13,100 people in Burnley and Padiham have had their jobs protected during the pandemic through the Job Retention Scheme, according to latest figures.

In addition, £35m. has been paid out to local businesses in the form of Bounce Back Loans, with more than £21m. worth of grants handed out to businesses in Burnley, which do not need to be paid back.

While much of this support has been focused on supporting people through the immediate crisis, the Government has recently set out the next phase of its economic response.

In June, the Prime Minister unveiled the New Deal for Britain – accelerating billions of pounds worth of infrastructure projects to get the country building and kickstart the economy – followed by the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs in July, which set out how the Government intends to create, protect and support jobs in the months ahead, backed by up to £30b.

Mr Higginbotham said: “This year has been hugely challenging for people and businesses in Burnley and Padiham, and these latest figures demonstrate the scale of support that the Conservative Government has put in place to support lives and local livelihoods.

“As we now work to restart our economy, I have no doubt that the Government will continue to support people in our local community.

"Schemes such as the hugely popular Eat Out to Help Out are already proving a huge success at getting customers back into local businesses.

“Never has the Conservatives’ agenda to level up the whole county been so important – giving businesses the confidence to retain and hire, create jobs and ensure young people have the opportunity of a better start in our borough.”