The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. Formed in 1974, it now has around 200,000 members nationally, 5,000 of those in Greater Manchester and north Cheshire.
Simon Edmondson, FSB Regional Chairman, writes…
With the nights drawing in and the mercury already beginning its migration southwards, the thoughts of many small business owners will be starting to turn to energy costs. Energy is something that every business requires as a prerequisite to trading – whether it’s electricity to power the office or the gas to heat the premises. It is an inescapable cost to doing business, and this is what makes it so important.
However, for far too long the energy market has not been kind to SMEs. And while the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers have pledged to end rollover contracts, few businesses now trust the market to deliver fairness for all.
An exclusive survey of over 1,400 members supports this notion, findings from which show almost all (81%) of FSB members believe energy suppliers don’t care about their needs. A further 81% agree that published tariffs would have a positive impact on their business, with the main benefits being more competitive pricing and easier switching of accounts.
Two thirds (65%) of small businesses surveyed think it is still difficult to switch energy supplier. Amongst those who attempted to switch the biggest problems cited were unclear notice periods, complicated contract terms and the speed of the switching process. And only a quarter (27%) of small firms believe there is enough competition in the energy market.
It’s clear from our research that the damage is already done, and many small businesses simply don’t trust the big energy suppliers to deliver a smarter, fairer and more transparent billing process.
So we need decisive action from the energy companies to prove otherwise, and show that they mean business. That means they must publish easily comparable prices for small business customers, commit to not reintroducing rollover contracts and ensure customers who want to switch can do so easily.
The FSB is lobbying hard for fundamental reform of the energy market, with more fairness and transparency for small businesses, enabling them to easily identify and switch to thebest possible deals. This would force energy firms to set the most competitive package possible for customers.
For more information about the FSB visit: www.fsb.org.uk
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