Fish and chip shop owners have criticised the Mini-Budget announced by the government today, saying that the industry is continuing to struggle during the current cost of living crisis.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng put forward a series of tax-slashing new measures in the House of Commons this morning.
One included fixing corporation tax at 19 per cent, while restricting the basic rate of income tax to the same figure.
But Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, slammed the government for helping "bankers, not bakers and financiers, not fish friers".
Reflecting on today's announcements – which included a commitment to scrap caps on city bonuses – he said the budget had "missed the mark completely".
Mr Crook said: "This was the opportunity to take the pressure off small business, because it's not just a job for us, it's a way of life.
"But they've missed the mark completely with this budget.
"The whole of hospitality was looking for a reduction in VAT and reforms to make sure the system changes going forward, and we've not had.
"And unfortunately, they've looked after bankers rather than bakers and financiers rather than fish friers."
Mr Crook, who also owns Skippers chip shop, in Euxton, Lancashire, said he remained hopeful that the government would offer more help later in the autumn.
But he was concerned that many chip shop owners would go out of business over the winter period, after the price of cod rocketed by 75 per cent on top of bills increases.
He said: "It's easy for bigger businesses to keep acquiring businesses and expanding, but we can't. We're just about keeping our head above water.
"I was looking forward to planning a promotion to help lift the industry out of where it is now, but we're now expecting a bleak period after Christmas."
Richard Coleman Ord, 29, who is the fifth generation in his family to run his family fish and chip shop, said the budget was "nowhere near" what was needed for the industry.
He explained: "It was nowhere near, and for small enterprises it's disastrous. I think there was a huge focus on large businesses and the growth of the economy through them.
"But on a whole for smaller businesses, it's left us quite isolated. We've been let down quite badly."
He added: "It's alright to reduce tax rates, but you have to make money to pay taxes, and there are a lot of us that won’t be in business for much longer.
"It's really, really extremely serious out there, and we need help for the small family business. At the moment, we're not receiving any."
Mr Coleman Ord said he was lucky that his chip shop, Colmans, in South Shields, had its energy price plan in place for the next 18 months.
But he said rises in the prices of ingredients had still made trading extremely choppy during the cost of living crisis.
He said: "The potatoes, the fish, the oil, all the commodity prices have gone up beyond our wildest dreams - even though we've been in business for 60 years.
"The only way we could offset that, including energy, would be the reduction in VAT and business rates, like they did for the pandemic.
"It should be the same for this crisis because, to be honest with you, it's worse than the pandemic. It's far more serious for businesses than the pandemic ever was."
He added measures announced by the government to uncap bankers' bonuses had left a "bad taste" in the mouths of many small businesses.
He said: "I understand the thoughts of it – bringing growth into certain sectors – but again it's targeting large businesses and higher earners.
"For the majority of people looking for relief and help – if anything – it feels a little bit thrown in your face, and we feel let down."
An analysis published last month revealed that fish and chip shops on the brink of closure have faced startling price rises of more than 13%.
Industry bosses fear the cost of living crisis could force 3,000 of the UK's estimated 10,500 chippies to close as Brits will no longer have the cash for the traditional treat.
Research by the Labour Party found that the price of flour and cereals have risen by 19.3% in the past year, while fish is up by 8% and oils and fats by 16.6%.
Mr told The Mirror: "It feels like we've been abandoned. Everybody listens but nobody acts. I've never seen anything like this."
