Fiona
Bruce MP: New Enterprise Allowance helping people
in the Congleton Constituency start their own business
Fiona Bruce MP
has welcomed new figures showing that 130 people in the Congleton Constituency have
been helped off benefits and supported to start their own business thanks to
the Government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme.
The allowance –
which supports people on out of work benefits to start their own business – has
helped more than 73,000 people across the country set up businesses since it
was introduced in April 2011.
The support
available to people starts with help from a business mentor to develop their
business idea. Then, once they have got the business up and running, and have
moved off benefits, they are eligible for 26 weeks of financial support as they
get their business going.
Fiona Bruce MP said:
“It’s great news that 130 people in the
Congleton Constituency have been helped to get off benefits and realise their
dream of starting their own business and being their own boss. Small businesses
are a hugely important part of our community and vital to local jobs.
“Supporting small businesses is an
important part of our commitment to backing working people. We want everyone in
all parts of the country to benefit from the opportunities being created by our
growing economy. We are supporting people, regardless of their background or
where they are from, who want to work hard and get on. There’s more to do, but
these figures show that our support is giving thousands of people the promise
of a brighter future. Each new job these businesses secure in this constituency
represents another family with the security and dignity of regular work and a
regular pay packet.”
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITOR
·
The
New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) helps people on out of work benefits start their
own business. The scheme, launched in April 2011, aims to help
unemployed people claiming out of work benefits who wish to start up their own
business. Participants in the NEA work with a business mentor to develop their
business idea. Once they have started trading and left benefits, they receive a
weekly allowance worth a total of £1,274 over 26 weeks to help them get their
business going (DWP, New Enterprise
Allowance: April 2011 to June 2015, 23 September 2015, link).
·
More
than 73,000 people have started a business under the scheme since it was
introduced. Over the past year nearly 1,500 businesses a month have been started by
people moving off benefits and becoming their own boss
o 17,140 businesses started by people aged
50 and over
o 5,440 businesses started by people under
25
o 14,530 businesses started by people with
a disability
(DWP, New Enterprise Allowance:
April 2011 to June 2015, 23 September 2015, link).
·
Businesses
have created almost 2.5 million new jobs since Labour were in power. The private
sector has created over five jobs for every one job lost in the public sector
since 2010 (ONS, MFZ2,
16 September 2015, link).
·
And
703,100 fewer people are claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit-not
in work (ONS, Regional Labour Market,
16 September 2015, link; nomis, accessed 16 September
2015, link; DWP, Universal Credit: 29 Apr
2013 to 3 September 2015, 16 September 2015, link).
CONSTITUENCY
FIGURES
·
On
23 September 2015 DWP released constituency statistics for the New Enterprise
Allowance. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 (DWP, New Enterprise Allowance: April 2011 to June 2015, 23 September
2015, link).
|
|
Mentor
starts since April 2011
|
Business
starts since April 2011
|
|
Total
|
144,140
|
73,290
|
|
Congleton
|
210
|
130
|
