'People are begging me to stay open but I can't' - beloved chippy forced to close after being hit with huge bill
06.04.2023 - 17:23
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
“This isn’t just a chip shop, it’s a community centre,” says Peter Singleton, owner of Jack Spratt’s, a chip shop he’s poured his heart and soul into for the past 25 years. “And I mean that strongly. This place is vibrant and alive.”
Today, he closes for good, after his energy bills went from £8,000 a year to a crippling £27,000 a year almost overnight. He opened up in 2008, naming the shop after his eldest son, Jack, and winning awards along the way, including Oldham’s Chippy of the Year in 2010.
He’s angry. “I’m devastated,” he says. “Totally devastated for my staff. My two girls here have been crying. I’ve been crying. It’s my whole way of life. I’m angry, frustrated, but I can’t be. I can’t let it do that, it’ll make me ill. I have to try and be strong.”
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Peter announced the impending closure of the shop earlier this month, in a notice on the door, explaining that he simply couldn’t absorb the costs facing him anymore. “We will close after 25 years within this community and we would like to thank you all, our loyal customers and friends, for many happy times,” it read.
“On February 16, my new gas contract was up for renewal,” he explains, detailing the timeline with some starkly easy to understand figures. “I was paying 3p a therm. It’s now gone up to 12p a therm, and that’s then plus VAT, so it’s gone up 360%. On the 31st of March, I had to get a new electricity contract. That’s gone up from 13p to 39p, plus VAT and a climate levy charge.
“Basically, my gas and electric bill only has gone from £8,000 a year to £27,000 a year. I told [the electric and gas companies] this means the closure of my business. They say ‘they’re sorry’. This has not been something