Government’s energy bill support

Please see below a template press release for the Government’s energy bill support scheme which is due to be significantly cut in April.

The template contains the number of businesses in your area and the Liberal Democrat analysis of business energy costs and the Government’s current support (sources found in the notes).

This template can be used for England, Scotland and Wales.

  [INSERT COLUMN N] hospitality businesses in [AREA] face cost of living cliff edge

[INSERT COLUMN N] businesses in [AREA] are facing a huge [INSERT COLUMN O] energy bill increase once Government support is slashed in April, new analysis from the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The analysis shows that the average bill increase per business is likely to be [INSERT COLUMN P].

According to official statistics, in [AREA] there are [INSERT COLUMN N] pubs, restaurants and cafes at risk, facing a rise in energy bills by thousands of pounds.

The Government initially capped the cost of business energy, but from April they are replacing that scheme and will instead just pay a small proportion of businesses' increased costs. This means many pubs, cafes and restaurants will see a 90% cut in help from the government.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the government to think again. Businesses across the country are worried about the cliff edge they’re facing this year and Ministers need to listen to businesses about the risks they are facing before they withdraw support.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Councillor [INSERT NAME] for [AREA] said:

“Countless businesses in our area are facing a cliff edge this year. Our pubs, restaurants and cafes have endured so much already, people will be devastated to see any more harm to our local high streets.

“The Government needs to give businesses around here the support they need to endure this energy bill catastrophe. “Ministers in Westminster must not wait a moment more. Liberal Democrats are calling for them to intervene and think again about this change - if they don’t we could see thousands of businesses, including pubs, restaurants and cafes going bust. This could rip the heart out of our communities.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Data on the number of micro, small and medium sized pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in the UK is available from the ONS via Nomis.

Business Energy costs (without Government support) are based on estimates for micro, small and medium-sized businesses by Energy Broker Bionic from January 3 to January 6, 2023: Bionic Details on the Government’s Existing cap on business costs

Details on the Government's existing cap on business costs: Energy Bill Relief Scheme: help for businesses and other non-domestic customers

Details for the Government’s new support for business: Energy Bills Discount Scheme

We then compared Bionic’s figures with the two government schemes to calculate what the difference in support levels would be.