What changed
UK diesel prices have risen above £2 a litre, squeezing North East charities and businesses. Cancer transport charity Daft as a Brush now spends £15,000 a month on diesel, £5,000 more than last year, while Teesside Minibus Hire says its fuel costs are nearing the point where the business is no longer sustainable.
Why it matters
For Daft as a Brush, the pump is absorbing money that had been intended for growth and electric-vehicle upgrades. The Newcastle charity runs 30 vans for cancer patients and drives 600,000 miles a year. One volunteer said filling a tank had risen from £40-£45 to £94.
That turns an energy-cost shock into a service problem. Every extra pound spent keeping vans moving is money unavailable for replacing them, expanding transport or supporting patients. The charity also says it receives no special fuel discount.
Teesside Minibus Hire faces a different squeeze. Its school and business contracts can last for years, often using fuel costs set when they were signed. Passing higher costs to customers is difficult when those customers are already dealing with inflation. The company says some people are instead choosing cheaper, unlicensed services, and that it probably could not survive long term if prices stayed high.
The government has extended its 5p-per-litre fuel-duty freeze through the end of 2026. It also says diesel shortages are not expected because supply is diverse and resilient. That may prevent a supply panic, but it does not solve the arithmetic facing organisations whose vehicles must keep running: if diesel remains above £2 a litre, routine journeys continue to consume funds or margins at a much faster rate.
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