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10        Africa telegraph         25 October - 09 November 2020                  Produced in partnership with UK Government













                                      The future depends on what you do today




                  The lawyer  and  political  ethicist, Ma-
                  hatma Gandhi, once said: “The future
                  depends  on what you do today.” In
                  order to create a better future for the
                  UK workforce, the UK Government has
                  acted with speed to set out a plan to
                  safeguard employment.
                  The UK Government has announced
                  extra support for businesses that
                  may be forced to close their doors in
                  the coming weeks and months due to
                  coronavirus restrictions.

                  Their economic priority is to  protect
                  jobs, which is being done through the
                  Job Support Scheme which will directly
                  support the wages of people who are
                  in work, giving businesses the option of
                  keeping employees in a job on shorter
                  hours rather than making them redun-
                  dant.

                  The Job Support Scheme, whether for
                  open  or closed  businesses,  will  open
                  on 1 November 2020, paying  grants
                  from  early December and remain-
                  ing open for 6 months. The extended
                  scheme will be reviewed in January.
                  Health restrictions may mean that busi-
                  nesses are asked to close, so the gov-
                  ernment have announced that they are
                  expanding the JSS where restrictions
                  legally  require  a business to close in   Will Townsend launched Edinburgh-based Active Root five years ago after getting fed up with the sports
                  any region or nation of the UK.                         drinks and gels aimed at people taking part in endurance sports.

                  The Chancellor  recently announced
                  the UK Government’s plan  to protect   “I have always said that we will do what-  to help the country’s economic recov-  ing part  in endurance sports such as
                  jobs and support businesses across   ever is necessary to protect jobs and   ery. One scheme that aims to do this   marathon-running  and long-distance
                                                       livelihoods as the situation evolves.”
                                                                                                                                cycling.
                                                                                            is the £2billion Kickstart scheme, giv-
                  the UK over the coming months.  Cen-
                  tral to this plan is a new Job Support                                    ing unemployed young people a future
                  Scheme and extension of Self Employ-  “The expansion  of the Job Support   of opportunity and hope  by creating   He wanted something that wouldn’t un-
                  ment Income Support Scheme.          Scheme will provide a  safety  net  for   high-quality,  government- subsidised   settle people’s stomachs.
                                                       businesses across the UK who are re-  jobs.
                                                       quired to temporarily close their doors,                                 This is one  criticism  of many of the
                  The  plan  also  includes  flexible  mea-
                  sures to help over a million  UK busi-  giving  them the right support at the   Faith in the future           products on the market, and he set-
                  nesses pay back government backed    right time.”                                                             tled on ginger as a key ingredient. Five
                  loans, and an extension of the VAT                                        Our future lies in the hands of young   years on, the company is thriving, with
                  reduction for  the  hospitality and tour-  The announcement comes after addi-  people.  As  a result, the UK Govern-  strong eCommerce sales and a distri-
                                                       tional measures to combat the spread
                                                                                            ment’s on-the-job  training  for 16 to
                                                                                                                                bution network that spans 150 stores
                  ism  sectors.  The  extensive package
                  of support will help to protect millions   of the virus were imposed across the   24-year-old seems like an investment   in the UK and overseas.
                  of jobs and livelihoods, as the country   UK.                             in the future.
                  works together to suppress the virus.                                                                         “Like a lot of people, we thought it was
                                                       The plan for jobs is the second part of   Someone  keen to invest in young   the end of the world for our business,”
                                                       a three-phase plan to secure the UK’s   people  is Will  Townsend,  an Edin-  Townsend recalls of the moment back
                  The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi
                  Sunak said: “Throughout the crisis the   economic recovery from coronavirus.  burgh-based businessman.  Townsend   in March when the Scottish govern-
                  driving  force of our economic  policy                                    launched  Active  Root  five  years  ago   ment announced a national lockdown.
                  has not changed.”                    The UK Government is focussing  on   after  getting fed  up with the  sports   Continued on the next page
                                                       training young people as part of its plan   drinks and gels aimed at people tak-
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