Research programme
Fixing pandemic income support schemes
About the research programme
Our research programme on fixing pandemic income support schemes aimed to understand the impact on businesses and workers who were excluded from government income support schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also proposed practical solutions to include the millions left without any financial assistance.
Our vision
Our goal was to ensure that as many excluded individuals and businesses as possible received support. This research programme focused on identifying ways for the government to extend support and on raising awareness of the challenges faced by those left out.
Millions of people and businesses have been excluded
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the furlough scheme were introduced to support people during the pandemic. However, millions of workers and business owners were excluded from these schemes.
Our solutions
We developed a series of policy solutions aimed at including employees and self-employed individuals who were previously left out. These proposals are designed to be fair, effective, and economically beneficial.
Supporting businesses
Our plans would help support small businesses, protect livelihoods, and provide an economic boost through more inclusive and targeted government support.
Read the plans
We published four detailed papers outlining how the government could support those who had been excluded. These totalled over one hundred pages of analysis, solutions, and a call for a public inquiry into why people were excluded.
This paper shows how the UK could implement a new scheme to support small businesses and workers while also filling skill shortages.
This paper sets out the case for a public inquiry into those excluded from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Furlough Scheme.
This paper shows how the government could expand the furlough scheme to support more workers during the pandemic.
This paper provides solutions for those individuals excluded from the government's income support schemes.
Supported by
New Starter Justice
Basic Income UK
Excluded Unity Alliance
New Starter Justice
Basic Income UK
Excluded Unity Alliance
The Gaps in Support APPG
After we published our plans to include more people in both the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the furlough scheme, we then launched a campaign on the issue.
Around the same time, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gaps in Support was created, consisting of 216 Members of Parliament. We first presented the overall costs of our initial plans to the APPG, followed by our Expanding Furlough plan, which is shown below. The APPG later encouraged the government to look into this solution.
The Expanding Furlough plan and our paper calling for an inquiry into the issue both received a response from the Treasury. Our campaign was also covered multiple times in the Yorkshire Post.
Campaigning on our plans
We took our campaign to the public and politicians, speaking directly with those affected by the exclusions.
Torrin explaining how many people were excluded from the income support schemes during a speech in Liverpool.
Torrin spoke about the campaign for more people to be included in the government’s income support schemes during a speech in London.
Research team
Torrin Wilkins
Director and Founder
Torrin is the Founder and Director of the Centre. His experience includes authoring over a dozen papers and over one hundred policies. His policies have been backed by an All-Party Parliamentary Group of over 260 MPs and included in various party manifestos. He regularly appears in a wide range of print and broadcast media and previously had a weekly column for a national publication. He also has a degree in Political Studies from Aberystwyth University.
Janey Little
Janey is a member of the Liberal Democrats and won a British Education Award in 2020.