Manchester bar and restaurant owners are fearing the consequences of a potential U-turn by the government on plans to provide financial support for energy bills. Last year, then PM Liz Truss promised six months of support to business owners, including those in hospitality, as energy bills soared.
But according to a report in The TImes, new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt are planning to more than halve the amount that businesses were expecting to receive, though the time frame of the scheme will be extended.
Previously, the scheme was set to provide £40 billion in relief to businesses. But it could now be slashed to under £20 billion, and be spread over 12 months instead of the previously planned six. Hunt had previously said in his autumn statement that aid for businesses would be ‘unsustainable’.
