A new payment scheme being trialled in Oldham allows low-income workers in high-risk areas to claim up to £182 if they are forced to self-isolate.
Anyone who claims Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit and cannot work from home is eligible – and the funds will be accessible from 1 September.
The benefits scheme works out at £13 a day, and is being trialled in areas subject to tighter restrictions – including Oldham – before being rolled out across the country if it is deemed a success.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who has been campaigning for those in isolation to receive full pay, said the new benefits scheme “goes nowhere near far enough.”
“The Health Secretary has already said that he couldn’t live on Statutory Sick Pay at £95 a week,” said Burnham.
The recommended isolation period following a positive test is 10 days, meaning anyone confirmed to have coronavirus can claim up to £130.
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Anyone who has been urged to self-isolate by contact tracers, or has come into contact with friends/family members carrying the virus, will need to remain indoors for two weeks – entitling them up to £182.
To access the extra money, people will need to provide proof of a positive test, a message from track and trace, and/or a bank statement.
Money will be transferred within 48 hours.
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“If the approach is successful, the scheme will be quickly applied in other areas of high Covid-19 incidence,” the Government confirmed.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
The Manc -
27th August 2020 
