BCC statement following the Government's energy bills announcement

Following the Government's announcement on energy bills support for businesses, Rob Flello, BCC Chief Executive, said: “The British Ceramic Confederation strongly welcomes the bold move by Government to support British businesses, and in particular UK Ceramics, through their measures to cut energy bills and provide support.“As a gas-intensive foundation industrial sector, our members have seen unprecedented and unsustainable leaps in the cost of energy, on occasions up to 20 times the cost of just a couple of years ago.“The announcement of a new Government Energy Bill Relief Scheme comes as a lifeline to our industry, and we appreciate the level of engagement with the BCC by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury.“All UK ceramic businesses compete in fiercely competitive global markets and therefore the sector’s success is fundamentally reliant on internationally competitive energy and climate costs.“We welcome the decision to review the scheme in three months to help inform decisions on future support. We look forward to working closely with Ministers again in the next few months to assess the impact of this help and to ensure our UK ceramic manufacturers do not face a cliff edge in March 2023.“Ceramics is at the very heart of what the UK needs for a strong, stable manufacturing backbone.“Without the brick, tile, and clay pipe manufacturers there would be no housebuilding. There is no glass or steel industry without the refractories. There is no heat from waste without advanced ceramics. The list goes on.“We are therefore optimistic that the Foundation Industries, such as UK ceramics, will be prioritised in the review and be given further protection and support.”Notes to Editors:Ceramics is an extremely diverse sector and comprises manufacturers of heavy clay construction products (such as bricks, blocks, roof tiles and drainage pipes); whitewares (tableware, giftware, sanitaryware, wall tiles); refractories (vital in all high-temperature processes); advanced ceramics (for numerous electronic, medical, aerospace, environmental, military and structural applications); as well as raw material and equipment suppliers to the sector.