Thousands of small UK firms’ energy bills set to more than double due to Iran war
Thousands of independent businesses across the UK are braced for their energy bills to more than double owing to the sharp rise in heating oil costs as the war in Iran pushed Europe’s fuel market prices to fresh record highs,About 7% of all small and medium-sized companies warm their properties and provide hot water using heating oil, which in some cases has more than doubled in recent weeks,Companies in rural areas are often not connected to the gas grid, meaning they have an even greater reliance on heating oil, which is a form of kerosene linked to the cost of jet fuel,It is used by about 17% of rural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB),The trade association has heard from members who have already begun rationing their fuel use to cope with the sharp rise in prices over recent weeks.
Anthony Jenkins, the owner of a hotel and restaurant in North Yorkshire, said his heating oil supplier had charged 54.9p a litre in January but had asked for 129p in late March.“Many rural businesses, including ours, need to rely on heating oil, but the price increases have been extraordinary.Our supplier refused to give us a firm quote for over a week after we booked a delivery, and told us the day before that it would be 116% higher than before the crisis,” Jenkins said.“We took only half what we usually do, and we’ve asked our guests to help us to keep costs down by turning down their radiators if they are too warm rather than opening a window.
They have all been happy to help because they are paying higher prices to fill up their cars, so they understand.”Jenkins said he hoped to rely more on solar heating for hot water as the days become longer and brighter to avoid inflating his £3,000-a-year heating oil bill.“Luckily, we fixed our electricity contract a few days into the conflict, but even then, deals were disappearing from the market,” he said.The FSB, which represents about 200,000 businesses and sole traders, has called on the UK’s competition watchdog to include the SME sector in its investigation into the heating oil market as the global energy supply shock fuelled record high prices on Europe’s diesel and jet fuel wholesale markets.North-west European jet fuel and diesel prices surpassed $1,900 (£1,434) and $1,600 a tonne respectively on Thursday, jumping to fresh all-time highs as market participants braced for a further escalation in the Middle East conflict over the long Easter weekend, according to market intelligence firm Argus.
The trade association is also on alert for signs that rogue energy brokers may be able to take advantage of the market crisis to push small companies into signing up to long-term deals on bad terms.Tina McKenzie, the policy chair of the FSB, said: “Many thousands of small businesses use a broker to find an energy contract, but this is an area where we think stricter rules are needed.”Small companies do not benefit from the government’s cap on energy prices or other consumer protections available to household energy customers, “even though they are far more akin to households than to their larger peers”, McKenzie said.“Business energy customers are nervous, and the situation is rapidly evolving, meaning conditions are ripe for rogue brokers to take advantage of customers’ stress and lack of information.”Though proposals have been put forward to strengthen the protection small businesses receive against rogue energy brokers, including closer scrutiny by the energy industry regulator Ofgem, they will not come into effect until new legislation is passed.
An Ofgem spokesperson said the regulator had written to non-domestic suppliers and brokers to “remind them to treat their customers fairly, and to prioritise transparent pricing and good consumer outcomes”.“We understand that the volatility we are seeing in the market as a result of the conflict in the Middle East is concerning for businesses,” the spokesperson said.“We expect businesses, particularly smaller organisations, to be properly supported as they navigate challenging market conditions.”
People living with incontinence face shortage of sanitary pads as NHS limits supplies
Millions of people across the UK living with incontinence are facing shortages of sanitary products due to supplies being rationed by NHS trusts, according to a coalition of charities.The shortages are leading to a “pad gap” where people are having to pay for incontinence products themselves, according to an open letter from organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, Prostate Cancer UK, and Bowel and Bladder UK.Around 14 million people across the UK experience incontinence. Healthcare workers in the NHS expect to fit up to five pads a day for patients who experience incontinence, according to research, but freedom of information data from 110 NHS trusts show that more than half (53%) have a cap on the availability of products.Of these trusts, 34% have a cap of three products a day, while the remaining 66% have a cap of four products a day, which is lower than the expected need
NHS urges patients not to put off care as doctors in England prepare for strike
The NHS is urging patients not to put off seeking the care they need when resident doctors press ahead with strike action from Tuesday, a stoppage that the health secretary has called “disappointing”.Tens of thousands of resident doctors in England are to stage a six-day strike after the government took a key part of its offer off the table.The Department of Health and Social Care said last week that an offer of 1,000 extra training places would no longer be “financially or operationally” possible.NHS England said hospital teams across the country would be working to minimise disruption for patients during the stoppage, which is “expected to be particularly challenging” because of a shorter notice period.Patients have been advised to attend planned appointments unless they have been contacted to reschedule, and those with life-threatening emergencies should still call 999 or attend A&E
Say it right! The trouble with unfamiliar names | Letters
Priti Ubhayakar’s article resonated with me because of my non-English surname (A moment that changed me: for the first time in my life, a stranger pronounced my name correctly, 1 April). I grew up in the 1950s on a very English council estate. Most other kids were a Brown, Smith, Jones, etc, but I was an Uszkurat. My lineage is complex on my dad’s side, with a Lithuanian grandfather whose original name was changed to Uszkurat by, I think, German authorities. My dad was born in a part of Europe that was German until the Treaty of Versailles made it part of the new Poland
A striking exchange between nurse and doctor | Brief letters
As a young ward sister and trade union steward, I remember, in the 1980s, when I was on the picket line in front of my hospital, stopping a doctor in his Mercedes. He asked me who I was, and I replied: “One of your colleagues.” He looked at me with contempt and answered: “I don’t think so, my colleagues are intelligent people.” So I wonder where their newfound enthusiasm for industrial action comes from. Has the price of Range Rovers gone up?Hilary BramleyCourbesseaux, France There seem to be experts for every aspect of life nowadays, but to read that the Woodland Trust has a “conversation adviser” in the form of Dr Ed Pyne surely takes the biscuit (Contractor that cut back 500-year-old oak in London park identified, 3 April)
Medicines watchdog to investigate UK peptide clinics over health claims
The medicines regulator is investigating whether UK clinics are breaking the law by making claims about the benefits of unregulated, experimental peptide therapies, the Guardian can reveal.Interest in experimental peptides has boomed in recent years. The substances are delivered by injection and are touted by sellers, influencers and even some medics as aiding everything from anti-ageing to recovery from injury.There is little scientific evidence to support such health and wellness claims in humans. Where studies have been carried out, most are in animals or cells
‘Young people want to come together’: experts respond to mass teen meet-ups in Clapham
It started with a flyer sent around on Snapchat. Teenagers were invited to gather at a south London basketball court to celebrate the start of the Easter holidays. They were told to bring their own weed and laughing gas because it was going to be a late one.What followed in the hours after was chaos. Hundreds of young people came to the “link-up” last Saturday, and then gathered on Clapham High Street
Oats, sardines and crisps: emergency foods to stockpile – and why you should share them
Reese’s chocolate heir accuses Hershey of altering recipes: ‘It wasn’t real peanut butter’
Put away the Aperol and raise a glass to Hugo spritz, the drink of the summer
Helen Goh’s recipe for ricotta, rum and raisin cake | The sweet spot
Cocoa-crazy: chocolate-infused liqueurs deserve their own moment
Baked cheesy smoked haddock and lemon icebox pudding: Henry Harris’ alternative Easter lunch