Stoke-on-Trent businesses say they could close over energy bills rise
BBCSome small businesses in Stoke-on-Trent say they could be forced to close due to rising utility bills.
It comes amid the energy regulator Ofgem's latest 54% price cap increase.
The rising price of wholesale gas has been mirrored by an increase in the cost of living, with inflation expected to reach 7%.
Cafe owner Jenny Taylor, who runs The Teapot cafe in Milton said her energy bills had already doubled and that she feared for its future.
"Sometimes I sit here and I think, what is the point?" she said.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Ms Taylor added: "It is just so difficult, constantly robbing Peter, paying Paul, moving money around all the time just to stay open.
"Before Christmas I did think it is cheaper to be shut.
"This cafe is everything to me, and it is so important for the community.
"I think this energy price hike, scare, whatever you call it, is just the icing on the cake... it could even be the start of finishing lots of small businesses.
"January is always quiet, it is a long month. It is scary."
Ceramics businesses in the city have said rising gas prices are having a "brutal impact" and called for the government to do more for businesses.
A short distance from The Teapot, Anita Gill, who runs Busy Bugs Nursery, said her energy bills had increased by 50%.
"We have rooms where we turn off the heating, we sort of congregate in one area, get the kids in one room rather than splitting them," she said.
"But there is only so much we can do."
She also called on the government to step in
"We have actually had people looking to selling the business for us, valuing it for us, because I just think it is time I might take retirement and let someone else worry about the bills," she said.
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On Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced support measures worth £350 per household through a council tax rebate and money off energy bills.
However, critics said more than half of the money was effectively a loan, which would need to be paid back from 2023.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated even taking into account the government's measures the average family would be £400 worse off.
It is also unclear if extra help will be offered to firms.
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