Six in 10 self-employed workers in Barrow have claimed grants through an extended government scheme to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic, new figures reveal.
HM Revenue and Customs figures show around 1,100 people in Barrow applied to the second round of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) between August 17 and the end of the month.
That was 59% of those in the area who were eligible to make a claim.
From May 13 to mid-July, eligible self-employed workers could claim a grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits for a three-month period, limited to £7,500.
The grant was extended in August, but lowered to 70% of profits and capped at £6,570, with applications closing on October 19.
Claims made by people in Barrow amounted to £2.2 million, or £2,000 per person on average.
In the first round of the scheme the average claim was worth £2,300.
Construction workers made the largest number of claims across the North West (60,500) and the most common age group for applicants was 45-54 (50,200).
Across the UK, just over two million people applied in August with claims totalling £5.1 billion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here