More Than Half of UK Businesses Worried About Energy Costs, ONS Figures Show

The Office for National Statistics reported that 57 per cent of businesses expressed some degree of concern about energy prices in late July 2026, with the figure rising to 70 per cent among firms with 10 or more employees.

More than half of all UK businesses were worried about energy prices in late July 2026, according to figures posted by the Office for National Statistics. The 57 per cent figure was broadly stable compared with early July, suggesting concern has not eased despite the passage of summer — and for larger businesses the pressure looks sharper still.

The gap between small and larger firms is telling. Among businesses with 10 or more employees, 70 per cent reported some degree of concern — 13 percentage points above the all-business figure. The ONS tracks these numbers through its Business Insights and Impact on the UK Economy bulletin series, which uses survey data to monitor operating pressures across sectors.

Hospitality businesses face the steepest exposure. The most recent ONS bulletin, published on 2 July 2026, put the proportion of businesses in accommodation and food service activities concerned about energy prices at 88 per cent in late June — well above the national average of 64 per cent recorded for that same period. Fuel costs added a separate layer of pressure, with 68 per cent of businesses expressing concern there, down 2 percentage points from early June.

For Kent, that hospitality figure matters.

The county’s coastal towns, market towns, and transport corridors support a dense cluster of hotels, pubs, restaurants, and haulage firms — sectors the ONS data suggests are among the most exposed to energy-cost pressures. The figures show no Kent-specific breakdown, so the local share of worried businesses can’t be pinned down precisely. But given Kent’s mix of small and medium-sized enterprises operating on tight margins, the national picture is unlikely to look rosier here than elsewhere.

The ONS has not identified any specific policy change as the driver of the late July concern levels. The data points to a situation that’s elevated but not worsening — yet for businesses already stretched, broadly stable and reassuringly low are not the same thing.