THOUSANDS of self-employed people are being ‘left to rot’ as they are left excluded from Government support throughout the pandemic.

ExcludedUK is a volunteer-led campaign which aims to bring an end to the exclusions brought about by UK Government support grants.

Despite the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announcing the UK Government’s Budget for the next 12 months, members of the campaign say this does not go far enough.

Julie Anne Allison, in Flintshire, is just one woman who has not been eligible for financial support from UK Government.

She told the Leader she became self-employed back in 2018 when she became a public speaker, running mental health workshops.

In 2020, unable to be furloughed and as a single parent, she was unable to move her business to an ‘effective online platform’ and so had to rely on previous savings.

She said: “There was just nothing available. I didn’t fit the eligibility requirements as I had been working part-time as well in 2019 for two days a week.

“Later in October, Welsh Government changed their guidelines so I was able to claim £1,500 out of a possible £2,000 but it’s all been so stressful.”

Julie Anne said that despite the Chancellor’s Budget announcement to help more self-employed, she is still not eligible for financial support.

She added: “It’s been horrible. I had a mortgage holiday from May to October and if it hadn’t been for that I don’t know where I would have been, homeless probably.

“There’s no way I’d have been able to pay it. So many people have been left. It’s that sense of isolation and discrimination.

“As a self-employed person you see everyone else working from home or furloughed or getting something to help, how are you supposed to get through it and pay the bills?

“I had a look after the Budget announcement but I’m still not eligible. I’ve had to home-school as well, so it’s all been really difficult.”

Julie Anne is one of the millions who have been ‘excluded’ from Government support, which is why the Excluded UK campaign was born.

She said: “The main thing about the campaign is seeing that there are literally millions of us in the same boat. It’s horrendous to be excluded in this way.

“That’s what it is, it’s pure and simple exclusion. We are working, paying out taxes and national insurance contribution to society and yet when it comes down to it, through no fault of your own, you are left to rot.

“We didn’t choose to be in this situation. The criteria is quite unjust really. It’s based on previous years which is quite unfair, especially for a new business.

“Your situation in 2019 is completely different to that of 2020 and 2021. When I did receive help from the Welsh Government it wasn’t much.

“I still have food to put on the table and bills to pay, it was a lot warmer back then but now we have heating bills and more.

“It’s that mental health perspective as well and your well-being, it’s been really tough. It’s not just the income, it’s how you deal with going from being an active person always doing academic work to mentally being at an all-time low.

“What support is there for that? You just feel utterly abandoned.”

Tim Smith, from Buckley, is another member who started his job at ‘the wrong time’ back in March and was not eligible for financial support from the Government.

He now plays an active role in the ExcludedUK campaign along with other volunteers, to reach out to those who need support the most and who have ‘slipped through the cracks’.

He told the Leader that there will still be an 'awful lot of people' still excluded and as far as the campaign is concerned, does change 'very little'.

More information about the campaign can be found online at https://www.excludeduk.org/donate

A Treasury spokesperson said: “Throughout this crisis, we have done all we can to support jobs and livelihoods through our £350 billion package of support, and our self-employed and furlough schemes are among the most generous in the world.

“We acknowledge that it has not been possible to support everyone in the way they might want. Funding is designed to target those who need it most and protect the taxpayer against fraud and abuse.”