UK Manufacturers Urge Government to Act Quickly on Energy Crisis
The UK's energy crisis has reached a boiling point, with industrial companies feeling the pinch of soaring electricity bills. Make UK, the business organization representing manufacturers, is calling on the government to take swift action to address this issue.
Currently, only 7,000 firms are set to benefit from the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), which promises to slash energy costs by up to 25% for participating businesses. However, Make UK wants this number increased to 115,000 companies, arguing that many more industries are being disproportionately affected by high energy prices.
The scheme's promised savings may be too little, too late. Industrial companies are already seeing the impact of rising energy costs, with some facing annual increases of £500,000 due to higher transmission charges and upgrades to the electricity grid. The government has pledged to fund the scheme from "bearing down" on levies and costs in the energy system, but this may not be enough.
Make UK's request for backdating the scheme – which would give participating businesses immediate relief rather than waiting until April 2027 – is also being pushed. While this may not be feasible, a faster implementation timeline could help to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis on industry.
The government's own rhetoric on "powering Britain" and cutting electricity prices seems at odds with its current inaction. With the clock ticking, Make UK's boss, Stephen Phipson, is calling for "political will rather than any technical constraints" to tackle the issue.
As Peter Kyle, the business secretary, prepares to announce a consultation on BICS implementation, industry leaders are growing impatient. The five-month delay until the formal consultation is underway has sparked concerns that the government may be taking too long to act. With energy costs set to continue rising, it's time for the government to get a move on and address this pressing issue.
The UK's energy crisis has reached a boiling point, with industrial companies feeling the pinch of soaring electricity bills. Make UK, the business organization representing manufacturers, is calling on the government to take swift action to address this issue.
Currently, only 7,000 firms are set to benefit from the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS), which promises to slash energy costs by up to 25% for participating businesses. However, Make UK wants this number increased to 115,000 companies, arguing that many more industries are being disproportionately affected by high energy prices.
The scheme's promised savings may be too little, too late. Industrial companies are already seeing the impact of rising energy costs, with some facing annual increases of £500,000 due to higher transmission charges and upgrades to the electricity grid. The government has pledged to fund the scheme from "bearing down" on levies and costs in the energy system, but this may not be enough.
Make UK's request for backdating the scheme – which would give participating businesses immediate relief rather than waiting until April 2027 – is also being pushed. While this may not be feasible, a faster implementation timeline could help to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis on industry.
The government's own rhetoric on "powering Britain" and cutting electricity prices seems at odds with its current inaction. With the clock ticking, Make UK's boss, Stephen Phipson, is calling for "political will rather than any technical constraints" to tackle the issue.
As Peter Kyle, the business secretary, prepares to announce a consultation on BICS implementation, industry leaders are growing impatient. The five-month delay until the formal consultation is underway has sparked concerns that the government may be taking too long to act. With energy costs set to continue rising, it's time for the government to get a move on and address this pressing issue.
I mean, come on, can't they just sort this out already? 
The energy crisis is like, really hitting hard for businesses here, and Make UK is literally saying that only 7,000 companies are getting some relief. That's not even close to the number they want! 
What's going on with this BICS scheme? It's supposed to save them up to 25% on energy costs, but it sounds like that's just a drop in the ocean for some of these industries. 
I get that the government needs to make sure everything is sorted, but can't they just fast track this or something? 
I mean, £500k annual increase is crazy! They need to act fast, not just promise stuff in 2 years 
. I've got a buddy who owns a small factory and he's already feeling the squeeze, it's gonna get ugly if they don't do something soon 
. They're already struggling with super high electricity bills 
. The gov's plan to slash energy costs by 25% sounds nice and all 
, but if only a tiny fraction of companies are going to benefit from it (just 7k out of 115k), that's still not enough in my book 
.
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, not just empty promises and consultation after consultation. The gov needs to show some political will 
and get this energy crisis under control ASAP 
. It's time for them to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk 
.
Energy Crisis Alert! 
and companies are literally bleeding because of these rising energy costs £500k per year is insane some of these firms cant even afford to pay their staff let alone invest in new equipment the government needs to step up their game and get this sorted ASAP make uk has a point about backdating the scheme but its not just that we need action now not next april 2027
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. We gotta stop just talking about solving problems and start taking concrete steps towards fixing them. The clock is ticking, but I believe we can make a difference if we work together 
️, but every single UK citizen is going to feel it too. Like, think about it - our energy prices are already so high, what's another £500k on top gonna do? 
. We need some proper back-up plan in place ASAP 
. Make UK's boss is asking for backdating the scheme and I think that's a good idea too... it would be way easier for them to get some relief sooner rather than later 
. It's time for the government to step up their game and show us they care about our industries 
. 7k firms already getting some help? That's not enough! The whole country is feeling the pinch of these crazy energy prices 
. The gov's all talk no action on this one. They promised to "power britain" but where's the concrete plan? 
We need a faster implementation timeline or backdating the scheme would at least give some breathing room. The energy crisis is affecting so many businesses and it's time for them to take action 
, not just empty promises 
. Five months feels like an eternity when it comes to addressing this energy crisis