The Conversation (0)
Kate Plummer
Aug 30, 2022
UK sees 80 percent energy price hike amid cost-of-living crisis
Indy
Soaring energy bills could cause thousands of pubs to close, the beer industry has said, in proof that the crisis has really gone too far.
The bosses of companies owning almost half of the UK’s 47,000 pubs said tenants were already giving notice because they could not cope with energy bills, which are due to rise more than fivefold in some cases, according to the Guardian.
Businesses do not benefit from a cap on what suppliers can charge for gas and electricity, unlike households, and the sector is still recovering from the Covid pandemic when pubs were forced to close for months.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
In a letter to the government and the Conservative leadership candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the British Beer and Pub Association said mass job losses were inevitable in the absence of help for an industry that employs 940,000 people.
People were horrified by the news:
\u201cThis is shocking. Many thousands of pubs, restaurants & small businesses are facing this right now and we literally have NO Government\u201d— Peter Stefanovic (@Peter Stefanovic) 1661672897
\u201cI think a sizeable percentage of pubs across Britain closing under your watch, in what came to be seen as your policy failure, could put you solidly in the running for worst prime minister ever.\u201d— Nick Tyrone (@Nick Tyrone) 1661805918
\u201cNot sure the British electorate will forgive a government if it lets 70% of the pubs and chip shops go out of business because of uncapped energy prices\u201d— Dan Kaszeta \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf9 (@Dan Kaszeta \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf9) 1661615899
\u201cEnergy bills aren\u2019t just crippling households they\u2019re crippling businesses too & they need urgent assistance. \nIt\u2019d be ridiculous for the government to have pumped billions in to keeping businesses open during the pandemic only to see them close now. \nhttps://t.co/79TZEL4XI7\u201d— Esther McVey (@Esther McVey) 1661356496
\u201cWe'll lose the high street. Our chippies. Our pubs. One day the only businesses left in Britain will be vast, gold-plated energy companies.\n\nhttps://t.co/YYMCs5mwmz\u201d— Danny Wallace (@Danny Wallace) 1661511361
\u201cOne of the sectors impacted worst by Brexit labour shortages. The UK Government haven't just abandoned pubs and other SMEs, they've actively worked against them.\nhttps://t.co/ZEzBzNzQt5\u201d— Best for Britain (@Best for Britain) 1661848216
\u201cThe thing about business closures is they are not easily undone. Every day that goes by without the government explaining what support will be forthcoming will cost jobs, incomes and livelihoods in a way that will not be quickly reversed. https://t.co/qtgpTZr6iA\u201d— Jo Michell (@Jo Michell) 1661850569
A government spokesperson told Sky News: "No government can control the global factors pushing up the price of energy and other business costs, but we will continue to support the hospitality sector in navigating the months ahead.
"That includes providing a 50 per cent business rates relief for businesses across the UK, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits and reducing employer national insurance.
"This is in addition to the billions in grants and loans offered throughout the pandemic."
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.