‘Raise statutory sick pay so it is in line with the London Living Wage’

• BARONESS Dido Harding, who leads the government’s struggling test-and-trace scheme, has finally acknowledged what we have known for a long time – a significant number of people are not self-isolating with Covid symptoms for financial reasons.

In fact a government-funded study has revealed that during the first lockdown just 18 per cent of respondents in the UK with a temperature, a continuous cough, or loss of smell and taste, had stayed home as the guidelines asked.

While there will be multiple reasons behind these findings, I really do urge those with symptoms to isolate.

There are actions the government could be taking right now to increase compliance with the rules. We have heard concerns from councils about the government’s current self-isolation payment system.

Some case studies have shown local authorities are rejecting the majority of applications because the criteria are too narrow; while other, already cash-strapped, councils have spent millions of their own money to meet surging demand amid a shortfall in funding from government.

For community safety the government must urgently fix these issues or raise statutory sick pay so it is in line with the London Living Wage.

ANDREW DISMORE AM
Labour, Member for Barnet & Camden