By Ian McConnell
MUSSELBURGH restaurateur Carlo Crolla has given his backing to a UK-wide campaign to save fish and chip shops “struggling for survival”.
Mr Crolla, who runs the East Coast Fish & Chips takeaway and East Coast Restaurant around two minutes’ walk from Musselburgh beach on the outskirts of Edinburgh with wife Katia, said the price of fish had doubled, energy bills had spiralled, and cooking oil was more expensive than ever. He added that, as a result, some fish and chip shops were now struggling for survival.
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Mr Crolla has teamed up with the National Federation of Fish Friers in the campaign to prevent up to one-third of the country’s fish and chip shops from disappearing. The NFFF calculates up to one in three are under threat of closure because of rapidly escalating costs.
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With fish and chip shops not protected by the consumer price cap, they face huge rises in energy costs. Some NFFF members have reported electricity bills rising from about £400 to £2,000 a month.
The NFFF is urging the UK Government to reconsider plans to raise value-added tax for the sector to the previous 20 per cent in April, after temporarily reduced rates of 5% then 12.5% to help hospitality amid the pandemic.
NFFF research shows a 75% rise in the cost of cod since October. It reveals an 81% increase in the cost of haddock in the last year. And the costs of mushy peas and batter have risen by 120% and 40% respectively.
Mr Crolla said: “We hope to do our bit by encouraging people to support their local fish and chip shop around Scotland during these extremely challenging times. Our family has been proudly serving the local community with quality fish and chips for nearly 50 years, but the spiralling costs battering our industry is putting all that at risk. We won’t compromise on quality, but these external factors will inevitably mean a rise in costs for us and our customers.”
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