Owner fears for the future as 'rates bill more than doubles'

Demand soars 140% from £3.2k to more than £7,780

- Thomas Cooper

AN INDEPENDENT coffee shop owner fears he may have to move or shut for good - after his business rates more than doubled.

Joe Ingleton has run Fueled Speciality Coffee, in Carters Square, Uttoxeter, since 2021 and was paying £3,243.50 a year in business rates.

But the 2025/26 bill has now shot up to £7,784.40.

The 30-year-old said: “It has left me in an extremely difficult position. I've now got to find the money. It’s not easy running a business. I’ve already got bills, wages, rent and stock to pay for. Do they know how many cups of coffee I need to sell just to make up that amount? The short answer is that it’s a lot.