Written by Ciaran Coyle
It has been just under fourteen months since Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the roll-out of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, otherwise known as the ‘furlough scheme’, which aimed to provide much-needed financial support to workers as well as business owners throughout the pandemic.
Whilst the scheme has played a major role in helping a large proportion of smaller business stay afloat during these unprecedented times, not everyone has had the same luck. According to the BBC, Within the hospitality sector alone, 1,917 restaurants have closed since the start of the Pandemic along with 535 Pubs which serve food.
Simon Garrett, a business manager for a Cambridgeshire based building maintenance company, said in his opinion the government couldn’t have done any more to support businesses during this time.
“I know that all the hospitality people we deal with use the scheme and without the scheme there is just no way any of these guys would have survived.”
“As to whether they could have done any more, I don’t think so. I think they’ve done everything they can to ensure that everyone survived and got through it.”
“If they had not helped I don’t know what would have happened if I’m honest with you, it would have been a very scary world to look at.”
Garrett was also asked about how this pandemic may shape the way businesses operate in the future.
“I think everyone has to diversify.
“As Ice Cool has got to, we can’t stick with just hospitality anymore; we have to look at other things.”
