FSB calls for support as energy costs climb With the Treasury announcing support measures for households set to be hit by a spike in energy prices, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged officials to extend the support to small businesses. National chair Mike Cherry said many small businesses “face many of the same challenges as consumers in the energy market, but without the same protections.” He added that a rebate for households should be matched by an equivalent business rates rebate “to help the smallest firms which have been weathering these price increases for months already, and which desperately need a measure of protection from the energy crisis storm.” Mr Cherry also warned of the impact of the Bank of England’s interest rate increase. With the rise set to increase repayments on some personal and professional debt, he said it would “add to existing cashflow woes just as tax rises loom.”