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08
Oct 2021
County council claimed £3.9m in furlough during pandemic
North Yorkshire County Council has revealed it claimed £3.9million of government cash to furlough staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
The authority – which is the largest employer in the county – said a total of 1,288 jobs were supported by the scheme, which came to an end last Thursday after 18 months.
According to government guidance, public sector organisations were not expected to furlough their workforce and staff whose work was no longer possible had to be considered for redeployment.
However, where councils had arms-length organisations which rely on income and not public money, then furloughing staff was allowed.
A county council spokesperson said:
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Furlough payments were claimed for school catering staff during lockdown closures, as well as staff in the county council’s outdoor learning service which it said could not operate due to covid restrictions.
The spokesperson added:
No furlough claims by Harrogate Borough Council
Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council did not claim any money from the furlough scheme.
Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the authority, this week made calls for the scheme to be extended in order to avoid what she fears will be a “tidal wave of job losses” at businesses.
She said:
The furlough scheme saw the government pay towards the wages of employees who could not work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them, up to a monthly limit of £2,500.
At first it paid 80% of their usual wage, but in August and September it paid 60%, with employers paying 20%.
In total, the scheme cost around £70billion – and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones said now was the right time for it to end.
He said:
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