Guisborough business hopes for a grant system from Government to help

The Autumn Statement is due today

Author: Karen LiuPublished 22nd Nov 2023

The Chancellor will be announcing the new Autumn statement today.

Even though The Budget is the main discal event of the year, where the most significant tax and spending changes are usually included, Jeremy Hunt can announce changes today too.

The focus will be on helping families who are struggling with the cost of living and boostnig growth.

There could be announcements on a reduction in inheritance tax and changes to taxes on personal income.

Andrew Kitchen, owner of The Cat's Whiskers Bistro in Guisborough, said: "It would be fantastic if we could see some sort of grant system, certainly to help businesses in Guisborough, I think it would be a great thing. It's certainly a needed time but if there's anymore money in the pot then that's a big question.

"There were grants over Covid which everyone got so much but that's it. There's been nothing since then. You'd have thought they might have brought something out just to give everyone a booster but nothing, so I think you're pretty much on your own and it's a matter of survival really.

"With it coming to the colder months, we're probably going to be using a lot more gas to keep the building warm and keep our customers warm. It does get a bit busier coming into the sort of Christmas functions on a night time so we'll be using a lot more power and gas. It'll be more to absorb from the business coming into the colder months this year.

"We have to leave our fridges and freezers on anyway. With heating we can monitor and we obviously don't leave it on overnight or anything like that. We make sure certain machines are turned off on a night and they're not turned on until the next day, but there's nothing much you can do. You're pretty much stuck with the way things are run."

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