"The government needs to extend the energy cap to business as well as households."
Industry leaders are warning that pubs and breweries across the UK are on the brink of closure as some energy bills are feared to rise by up 300%, reports The Manc.
With the energy price cap set to increase once again in October, and the rising cost of living crisis continuing to make its impact felt nationwide, bosses of six of the UK's biggest pub and brewing companies have penned and signed an open letter to the government urging it to act in order to avoid "real and serious irreversible" damage to the sector.
The bosses of Greene King, JW Lees, Carlsberg Marston's, Admiral Taverns, Drake & Morgan, and St Austell Brewery have all signed the letter.
They all sit on the board of British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
Pubs and breweries warn of closure over 300% rise in energy bills / Credit: Fred Moon (via Unsplash)
The letter has been penned because, while domestic customers are facing an 80% increase in average bills in October, businesses operate without a regulated price cap, and this is said to be leaving pub owners struggling to find suppliers willing to power their venues when contracts come up for renewal.
One regional pub had seen their energy bill jump £33,000 for the year, according to Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer of the Greene King Group - which has more than 2,700 pubs across the country.
The Griffin in Leeds city centre is owned by Greene King, whose bosses have signed the open letter to the government. / Image: Greene King Pubs
"While the government has introduced measures to help households cope with this spike in prices, businesses are having to face this alone, and it is only going to get worse come the autumn," Mr Mackenzie explained.
"Without immediate government intervention to support the sector, we could face the prospect of pubs being unable to pay their bills, jobs being lost and beloved locals across the country forced to close their doors, meaning all the good work done to keep pubs open during the pandemic could be wasted."
The six pub and brewery group bosses have demanded the government implement an urgent support package that would be similar to capping the price of energy for businesses.
“We have publicans who are experiencing 300% + increases in energy costs and some energy companies are refusing to even quote for supply," added William Lees Jones - Managing Director of JW Lees .
"In some instances, tenants are giving us notice since their businesses do not stack up with energy at these costs. These are not just pubs but people’s homes and the hearts of the communities that they sit in.
"Government needs to extend the energy cap to business as well as households."
In response to the open letter, a government spokesperson said: "No government can control the global factors pushing up the price of energy and other business costs, but we will continue to support the hospitality sector in navigating the months ahead.
"That includes providing a 50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits and reducing employer national insurance.
"This is in addition to the billions in grants and loans offered throughout the pandemic."
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
The Hoot -
30th August 2022 
