Big Issue North pulled from the street again during third national lockdown

As England enters a third lockdown, Big Issue North vendors face a dire predicament: they are once again not permitted to sell the magazine.

As England enters a third lockdown, Big Issue North vendors face a dire predicament: they are once again not permitted to sell the magazine.

The 350 people who sell Big Issue North are self-employed, buying magazines from offices across the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber for £1.50 before selling them on the streets for £3. This means that they are not eligible for furlough, and as they cannot work from home, hundreds of homeless and vulnerably housed people now find themselves without a source of desperately needed income.

During the first lockdown, frontline staff paid out a total of £500 each day to support vendors’ cost of living, from rent and bills for those in their own accommodation to essential shopping and transport. This time, we expect to pay out even more, as we experienced an influx of new vendors when the first lockdown was lifted, and the bitter cold will lead to an increased need for help with accommodation and bills. We estimate that we will need £10,000 to support all of our vendors through this period of lockdown.

There are several ways that members of the public can help: