Energy Bill Relief is not enough to help hospitality

Rising energy bills are a growing challenge for businesses — with some companies facing a 300% increase this winter.

The Government is providing support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme — from October 1 to March 31 2023 wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers will be discounted.

Among the hardest hit sectors is hospitality with the ever increasing threat of closure for many.

Thanks to the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, some pubs could see gas and electricity bills fall by hundreds of pounds a month, but those in the hospitality industry are not encouraged by what they see as limited support.

The end of June saw the lowest number of pubs in the UK at 39,973 with 7,000 closing over the last decade.

Lewis Hounsham, assistant manager at Brewhouse and Kitchen in Portsmouth, said: “We have to be quite careful with the electricity we use. If the room is empty, we turn the lights off. We try to use as little electricity as possible.

“I don’t think the Government is doing enough.”

Mr Hounsham said that one way the Government could help support businesses more would be to reduce taxes, as money saved could help towards paying energy bills.

He said: “The amount of tax we pay on beer is extortionate.”