Financial Help for Campsite Wardens

goingnomad

My partner and I work each year in the leisure industry on a seasonal basis as campsite wardens. We live and work onsite for 6 months each year and then self-fund ourselves through the winter from the money we save from working the summer, without claiming any benefits. We have worked on the same site for the past 3 years and we have been offered a position for the following  year at the end of each season.

The government has ordered the closure of campsites to prevent any unnecessary spread of the virus, which I think is a good thing. Sites especially over the upcoming Easter holidays were fully booked and would have been crowded, which would have been disastrous to try to control the spread of the virus.

However, as seasonal workers our contract is not due to begin until 1 April 2020. Does anyone know what financial assistance will be available to the many thousands of campsite wardens in the UK this is likely to affect?

We have been told by our employer that until the crisis is over, we are no longer required. But as we had not yet reached the start of our contract for this year, it appears we cannot be furloughed. He has told us he will need us again once the site re-opens.

In a way we are more fortunate than many other wardens who live all year in their caravans and have been asked to vacate their sites with nowhere else to live. We have temporary accommodation arranged, but as we have lived since last October until now from our savings, these have now run out and we were preparing to return to work next week.

Will the Chancellor look at the new guarantee package rules to provide the equivalent financial protection to the thousands of campsite wardens who were due to start work again next week for the caravan season, and will now find themselves out of work?

Our employers would love to be able to furlough staff as they will require us later in the season if the virus subsides and they are allowed to open again. However, as most wardens have not yet started work this season it seems that the announcement from the Chancellor may negate us from eligibility.

I am looking for advice not just for us, but also for the many thousands of others who will be affected in the same way.

Thank you for your time in these challenging circumstances.

sharpe106

As you have said as the rules stand you are not eligible and nobody has a crystal ball to know what the chancellor is going to do, however the government is never going to be able to sort out every single scenario in the time available. There will be plenty of people that fall through the cracks and nothing gets done to help them in time. It is probably a good chance that yours would be one of them. Your best bet is probably to try to find temporary work like in a shop or claim benefits to tidy you over until you can start work again.

7Phil

Wow.
Your post has been an insight to me about another new aspect to this horrible, global disease.
I can't offer advice and I don't know if any amateur replier can do either. 

I really doubt there is any immediate coronavirus assistance available to seasonal workers or wardens that rely on an assumed pattern of demand such as the way that you do. 
This is an epic, killer, catastrophe that is causing serious loss and hurt around the globe.

Thankfully I am not reliant on benefits but I am already forced to bunker down in my rental flat until the foreseeable. 
You may also need to prepare to do the same in your campsite and expect that campers will not be able to come this season.

I hope you will find new ways to adapt in this very different year.

Jeremy535897

I suggest you look into claiming universal credit as soon as possible. Use an online eligibility checker.

goingnomad

Thanks for the replies. We live in N.Ireland and the campsite we work on is in England. Ferries were booked for our return, hotels booked for the journey down etc. Everything is now cancelled. We have a rental apartment we can stay in for a max of 3 months, so at the minute not homeless like many other wardens. Those wardens that have not yet started have no site to go to and many other site owners have kicked their wardens off site. Horrible situation for them to be in.

We have applied for new style JSA as though we only work 6 months each year our NI records are showing as fully paid. That way we each get an individual benefit which is more than a single joint benefit through UC. Because our rental is through family we wouldn't qualify for housing benefit. I know JSA is taxable, but our 6 months earnings keep us both well below the personal allowance, so tax should not be an issue, and is now likely to fall in the 20-21 tax year when our earnings will be reduced anyway.

One week later and we would have been on payroll. C'est la vie.