HOW CAN YOU HELP

WHY ARE WE RAISING MONEY?

Since March 2020, an estimated 3 million UK taxpayers have been left without adequate financial support from the UK Government through no fault of their own, due to the eligibility criteria for the Covid-19 support schemes put in place by HM Treasury.

In March, following the announcement by the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak who promised “no one would be left behind”, it quickly transpired that millions of UK taxpaying citizens were to be excluded from receiving the unprecedented support schemes that were being promoted.

• Entrepreneurs who had set up their new businesses within the last few years were excluded from the Government business grants.
• Those who changed jobs, had a baby, received an inheritance from losing a relative, took a pension payment, worked two jobs, all missed out on the self-employment income support and furlough schemes (SEISS and JRS).
• Those who work in media or creative industries classed as 'PAYE Freelancers', were unable to claim personal financial support through the schemes and were ineligible for business grants.
• Those who worked from home, pay themselves annually, those who had invested in their businesses, those trading as limited companies paying themselves via dividends, those with premises outside of the fixed criteria for a grant, all missed out on the Government packages.

There are so many examples.

Despite many turning to the ‘enhanced social welfare system’, over 60% of those surveyed were also ineligible for Universal Credit if they still had a partner in employment, or they still had money put aside for tax bills, weddings, house deposits, or savings accounts for example. In an independent survey of over 2,500 members, 72% stated they have been trying to financially survive on less than 20% of pre-Covid-19 income. 60% stated they currently had no income at all, or any hope of returning to work on the horizon.

It is not just the excluded 3 million UK taxpayers that are affected. These exclusions extend to their families, and for small businesses, their employees, freelancers and sub-contractors.

Those who have been excluded are facing significant personal financial hardship as a result.

• Some have lost the businesses they have invested their life savings into.
• Some have lost the livelihoods they have spent their entire careers building.
• Some have lost their homes, cars and life savings as a result of not having the same support provided to other ‘qualifying taxpayers’.

HOW WE WILL HELP:

ExcludedUK was formed at the end of May 2020 as a non-profit organisation committed to providing an inclusive platform for those who found themselves excluded through no fault of their own. Despite months of campaigning, press awareness, celebrity and parliamentary support, backed up by an inquiry from the Treasury Select Committee clearly outlining the ‘Gaps in Support’ and the impact of that on the economy, on 14th July 2020, Chancellor Rishi Sunak "DREW A LINE UNDER ANY FURTHER CHANGES to the support schemes", denying three million UK Taxpayers parity in receiving the same support as others.

Having done extensive research on the needs of the ‘ExcludedUK’ community, we are committed to continuing to build a positive and supportive community organisation that is not only able to continue with the huge sustained campaign to help provide support to those who have been left out, but also seeks to provide mental health help, counselling, debt advice, business advice and guidance, skills and training to our members community.

While the Government’s emphasis is on ‘bouncing back’ and ‘looking forward’, this is simply not feasible for those affected:

• mental health is a growing serious concern
• unemployment and failed businesses are becoming a reality
• individuals and businesses are overloaded with debt
• for many industries there is a long recovery process ahead
• with future tax rises likely, what will this mean for the excluded?

We urgently need your help to raise funds to support the three million affected in this crisis. If we don’t help now, no one will.

WHAT WILL WE SPEND IT ON?

Counselling, Mental Health & Wellbeing Support

ExcludedUK is inundated on a daily basis with harrowing accounts from those who have reached the end of the line and have nowhere to turn. We are actively seeking partnerships with registered mental health support counsellors and companies in order to provide dedicated, direct, one-to-one support for our community members when they need it.

Here's how your funds will help:

• £1000 will fund 10-15 dedicated private therapy sessions for our most desperate members with independent counsellors.
• £50 will allow us to run a dedicated members wellbeing and support session virtually with a registered therapist.
• £500 will allow us to contribute towards service charges allowing us to provide free Yoga and Meditation support sessions for members.

Debt Advice, Personal Finance Advice and Business Support

ExcludedUK is working alongside a number of industry bodies, service providers and experts in order to provide our community members with dedicated support services to get them, their families, and their businesses back on track and focusing on overcoming this crisis.

Your donations will help:

• £30 will pay for a dedicated hour-long consultation with a trained accountant for one of our members to work out their tax implications for the coming year, or to take advice on how to wind down or start up a business.
• £100 with help towards the costs of a registered financial advisor who can work with a desperate member in order to provide pension or tax advice for those facing bankruptcy or having to sell their home.
• £500 will allow us to work with a registered business advisor who can run regular valuable business development sessions for those within the community.

Up-skilling, reskilling and training

From helping struggling business go digital, to helping those with skills and expertise launch online training classes to help others, ExcludedUK are commited to providing long term support and advice to our community as well as helping to provide a strong and well-connected army of others who are carrying the same bruises in order to support each other by sharing skills and expertise.

Donation Examples:

• £10 provides a dedicated Zoom account for a member to start building their own networks to help others excluded from Support schemes.
• £500 allows ExcludedUK to contribute towards the costs of dedicated support programmes for those looking to break into a new industry or career.
• £50 pays for the monthly software required to provide trusted development programmes within the community.

WHO WE ARE:

ExcludedUK is a grassroots non-profit NGO and serves as a collective platform for those entirely or largely excluded from UK Government’s Covid-19 financial support schemes. ExcludedUK was established on the founding of inclusivity, resilience and empowerment.

Since our launch in late May, we have a fast growing membership community of over 25,000 UK taxpayers who have been helping with building awareness in the press and on social media. We are hugely grateful for the support from MoneySaving Expert Martin Lewis, as well as having achieved the largest recorded APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) with support from over a third of all UK MP's uniting to request that the Chancellor removes the eligibility criteria on the provided support schemes to enable those who had been excluded to take advantage of fair and equal support provided to other taxpayers.