Why doesn& #39;t @RishiSunak& #39;s furlough scheme work for charities? It& #39;s because it& #39;s designed for those whose jobs have become temporarily redundant. That includes some who work in charity shops, cafes etc, & in that respect, it& #39;s a good scheme. 1/
But many charity workers are being furloughed simply because the charity no longer has the income to pay them. They still have vital work to do & they& #39;re willing to do it, but @hmtreasury would sooner pay 80% of their salaries to do nothing. That makes no sense. 2/
In the case of conservation charities, it means paying people not to plant trees, not to lay hedges, not to foster wildlife, not to tackle climate change... Wouldn& #39;t it be a better use of public money to pay them to provide public benefit than just to sit at home? 3/
These points apply to charities in many sectors. For an insight into what the shutdown means for conservation, listen to @CraigBennett3 on this @GreenAllianceUK podcast, from 10.37. #EveryDayCounts 4/4