50 per cent rise in electricity price is hurting, West Bromwich boss tells minister during visit to Black Country
Business Secretary Peter Kyle was told how soaring energy costs and trade barriers were hitting manufacturing during a visit to the Black Country.
Rachel Graville, managing director of the William King metal works in West Bromwich, told Mr Kyle on Thursday that her electricity bills had risen by 50 per cent since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and would increase by a further 20-25 per cent next year as a result of government changes to the transmission grid.
She added that post-Brexit barriers were hindering international trade, and called for closer ties with the European Union.
William King, a family firm which traces its roots back more than 200 years, supplies sheet metal products to Jaguar Land Rover and BMW.
Mr Kyle attended a round-table event with business leaders - many of them JLR suppliers - during the visit organised by West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes.
Several businesses in the JLR supply chain were forced to lay off staff this year after a cyber attack on the motor manufacturer led to a halt in production.
Mr Kyle said the Government had responded swiftly with a comprehensive support package, and said these companies now had a bright future.
But he said JLR itself also had a responsibility to protect the future of the companies on which it depended.
