Businesses will get help with soaring energy bills from October, even if payments have to be backdated, say reports.
The Financial Times said on Tuesday (September 13), that government officials had warned companies that they will have to wait longer than households for help from its £150 billion energy package, because of the difficulty of launching a support system before November.
However, the FT and other newspapers reported that a spokesperson for the government said on Wednesday: “We will confirm further details of the business support scheme next week.
“The scheme will support businesses with their October energy bills, including through backdating if necessary.”
The newspaper said the prospect of weeks of delays is “increasingly worrying” business leaders, as hundreds of thousands of companies reach the end of their fixed-price energy contracts at the start of October.
A support package for Britain’s 28 million households, limiting yearly gas and electricity bills to £2,500 on average, will be in operation from October 1.
However, a scheme for businesses is more complicated because there is no system for companies comparable to the rolling price cap already operated for households by Ofgem, the energy regulator.
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