MORE than £25m has been given to self-employed people in Barnsley to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.
The government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which came into force on May 13, has given eligible self-employed people grants worth up to 80 per cent of their average monthly profits.
A single grant covering three months of profit was offered to claimants, capped at £7,500.
According to figures released by HMRC on Wednesday, of Barnsley’s eligible 11,600 self-employed individuals, 9,000 claimed a total of £25.4m by June 30.
The borough has the lowest number of eligible people in South Yorkshire, but has seen a relatively high take-up rate of 78 per cent joint second-highest in the region with Sheffield, and one per cent lower than Rotherham.
In Barnsley, the average claim value was £2,800.
By June 30, 2.6m people claimed a total of £7.4bn nationally.
