People and businesses in Teesside facing raft of higher bills
There's going to be a rise in things like energy and water from tomorrow
Last updated 1st May 2025
We are hearing how businesses in Stockton are trying to remain positive despite a raft of incoming higher bills.
People are facing increases in how much they pay for things like energy and water from tomorrow.
Jason Maxwell, manager of Stockton Business Improvement District, said: "I think people have less confidence which means people have less money to spend. I think people and the business owners are definitely feeling the pinch. They're facing huge problems particularly with the rise in overheads, with things like National Insurance going up, minimum wage going up, there's nothing there really. It's a difficult one for us.
"We've had businesses that have had to make redundancies to try and make sure that they can continue going but on the back of the increase in the minimum wage and National Insurance, actually they're in the same position they were a couple of months ago. We've had businesses that probably would have been looking to employ more people and actually, people are stopping doing that because the increases have a massive detrimental effect on people.
"Even when we're looking at business rate reform and those types of things, they haven't happened and again, they're the types of things where we really need help and those increases, they really do affect probably disproportionately smaller businesses to be fair.
"Our message is always to come and support local. Come and shop in the high street. Even when we're talking about things like markets and those types of things, we really need markets because it's an ideal place if people are feeling the pinch because they can buy exactly what they need.
"We do have lots of positive things coming into our high street; we've got a big regeneration project that's going to be finished hopefully around April next year, which will improve business. We'll look for inward investment, new businesses coming into the town centre which will obviously drive employment, so we've got lots of positive things.
"We do have a few new businesses in the high street and when people are looking for somewhere to come and open a business, Stockton's still a really positive and thriving place to come to. We've got over 500 businesses in a relatively small town centre and that should encourage people to continue come shopping and continue to look for businesses. We want to speak to entrepeneurs.
"We've got events coming up all the way through the summer, people can look forward to Stockton Calling on 19th April, which is a huge music event. We've got Surf in the Summer and of course there'll be sparkles through the winter and of course, next spring there'll be the massive opening of the new parkland which is going to be off-the-scale cool for people to come and visit."