Two-thirds of UK businesses have applied for Government help paying wage bills for furloughed staff, but less than a fifth have received support so far, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics said the Government’s coronavirus job retention scheme was the most popular support programme, with 66% of firms surveyed having applied. The data revealed that 19% of firms that have applied have received help since it went live on April 20. More than half – 56% – of firms have also applied for the VAT deferral scheme, although just 42% have received the support.
Almost one-quarter of businesses that responded to the ONS fortnightly survey as continuing to trade between 6 and 19 April 2020 said their turnover had fallen by more than half.
Overall, 57% of businesses responding as still trading had seen their turnover fall beyond its normal range, with almost all of them citing the coronavirus (COVID-19) as a contributing factor.
