Edinburgh woman with cleaning business highlights plight of self-employed who don't qualify for Government support

80 per cent support denied because business started nine months ago

Kelly Bajaj has seen her income almost completely dry up after the coronavirus lockdown

A WOMAN who runs her own domestic cleaning business has highlighted the plight of people who fall through the gaps in the Government’s scheme to help the self-employed.

Kelly Bajaj, 34, from Gilmerton, does not qualify for the 80 per cent earnings support because she started her business - Kelly’s Cleaning Services - just nine months ago.

Her income has almost completely dried up as a result of the coronavirus lockdown and her husband is on the minimum wage.

Now she is having to apply for Universal Credit but has to wait a fortnight even for an interview to see if she will get any help and says she will struggle to make ends meet.

“It’s not just me,” she said. “I’m not the only one in this position but I feel absolutely helpless at the hands of the Government, as I’m sure many people do.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said his scheme would cover 95 per cent of self-employed people.

Ms Bajaj, who is a sole-trader not employing anyone else, said: “I fall into the five per cent because my business hasn’t long been set up. Our only option is to apply for Universal Credit but once again the system seems to be letting people down because although I now do have a telephone appointment booked, this isn’t going to happen until April 20 and even then there’s no guarantee that my application will be successful.

“I love my job and I enjoy working hard, but unfortunately I now have no work.

“It really is a stressful situation and I don’t know how we’re going to make ends meet.

“My question is probably the same as many others in my situation - how do we continue paying bills, rent and business costs?”

Latest UK figures show nearly a million people have applied for Universal Credit in the past two weeks, compared with the normal fortnightly application rate of about 100,000.