When will furlough end?
Many industries have been brought to a standstill over the last 15 months (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)  Furlough, officially known as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was introduced by Rishi Sunak during the first lockdown to provide financial help for companies and workers. Employers were given the option to furlough their staff instead of making them redundant, with the government paying a certain amount of an employees pre-tax salary per month when a company doesnt have enough work or money coming in to keep the workforce as it is. Initially intended to run for the duration of the first lockdown, the scheme has been now been extended multiple times  a necessary additional help for businesses. The furlough scheme is currently set to run until September 30, 2021. Mr Sunak confirmed the furlough extension during his 2021 Budget. The Chancellor has previously said of the extension: Our package of support for businesses and workers continues to be one of the most generous and effective in the world  helping our economy to recover and protecting livelihoods across the country. Despite the fact that the final stage of the governments roadmap is likely to be delayed, with Englands current freedom date for the lifting of all restrictions set to be pushed back be at least one month, there have been no plans announced to extend the furlough scheme beyond the end of September. A number organisations including the British Chamber of Commerce have urged Mr Sunak to delay the phasing-out of furlough if lockdown is extended, with hospitality chiefs claiming up to 200,000 jobs are on the line. The hospitality industry would miss out on 3billion in sales if Boris Johnson does go ahead with a one-month delay, according to UK Hospitality. MORE : Restrictions could remain until spring 2022 if freedom day is delayed  MORE : British Airways puts thousands on furlough after delays to travel  Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  Share your views in the comments below