Soaring energy costs and flagging consumer confidence herald a hard winter for small business owners in the English cathedral city
“The community has just broken up,” said Bryan Furey, former landlord of the Gillygate pub in York, who was forced to called in administrators in July after his energy bill almost tripled to £2,500 a month.
Sitting in the deserted garden of the pub, which until recently hosted theatre and quiz nights, a conker championship and customers on cycle tours, along with many regulars, Furey said the massive energy bill was the final straw in a pile of difficulties that had weighed on the pub.