Sharp rises in energy prices are stifling small businesses (Report, 20 October). The FSB's quarterly index shows that 78% of small businesses saw their costs rise over quarter three, and of those around six in 10 said it was because of the rise in utilities bills. Energy price rises are a major factor behind the rise in inflation ? another sting in the tail after a week of grim news, meaning household incomes will be further squeezed, just as the busiest shopping period of the year is approaching.
The government must ensure that the big six energy companies are held to account and not allowed to profit at the expense of the UK's 4.8m small businesses. There needs to be greater scrutiny of the big six companies' behaviour, a focus on a much clearer pricing structure for businesses to compare suppliers, and the removal of the barriers that block competition and allow the big six to control the market. The government too must play its part, ensuring that their green policies don't lead to further energy price hikes at a time when businesses can least afford it.
John Walker
Federation of Small Businesses
? You report (20 October) the collapse of the UK's carbon-capture-and-storage project at Longannet the day after Dieter Helm (Peak oil is a myth) wrote "the reason emissions keep going up ... is that coal is the rising fuel". In a Guardian supplement last year (29 November 2010), Milton Catelin, CEO of the World Coal Association, wrote "The deployment of CCS should be a litmus test for the seriousness of negotiators dealing with climate change." By that standard, Britain has failed. The reason is obvious. CCS is expensive. So coal power station operators seek large public subsidies and withdraw investment if they do not get them. The solution is also obvious. Impose a high carbon tax that would make CCS look cheap, without subsidies.
Jack Winkler
London
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/20/energy-prices-hitting-small-businesses
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