A new government business rates support package for retail, hospitality and leisure firms has moved a step closer after the Subsidy Advice Unit published its report on HM Treasury’s proposed scheme. For small businesses, that…
Fresh forecasts of a sharp rise in household energy bills this summer are another reminder that UK small businesses may not get much breathing space on costs either. Cornwall Insight now says the household price…
The Bank of England has left Bank Rate unchanged at 3.75%, but this was not a quiet hold. For UK small businesses, the bigger message is that borrowing costs may stay awkward for longer and…
England-based small businesses with enough land or yard space may soon have a simpler route to generating some of their own electricity. The government has opened a consultation on new planning rules that would let…
A new government-backed energy-saving tool could be worth a look for hospitality SMEs that are tired of watching margin leak away through lights, fridges, extraction systems and other everyday power use. The scheme, announced on…
Higher oil prices are already feeding through into the day-to-day costs that many UK small businesses feel first: fuel, deliveries, supplier charges and customer confidence. Over the weekend, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government…
The government’s latest energy-security package will not cut bills overnight, but it could matter for SMEs watching utility costs, customer demand and the potential arrival of plug-in solar.
Ministers are pressing fuel retailers over pump prices and signalling support for heating oil users. Here is what UK small businesses should watch on costs, margins and local demand.
The UK economy showed no growth in January, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, and that matters to small businesses even before you add the latest energy market shock on top.…
Lloyds Banking Group has apologised after some customers using the Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland apps were briefly shown other people’s transactions instead of their own. For small businesses, that is more than…