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Small Business Commissioner Review

The Small Business Commissioner Review examines the role and effectiveness of the Small Business Commissioner in protecting small and micro-businesses from unfair contract terms, late payments, and disputes with larger suppliers and energy companies. Led by the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the review is active and includes consultation on collective actions regimes, Energy Ombudsman coverage expansion, and improved dispute resolution mechanisms. Recent recommendations propose extending Energy Ombudsman coverage to all small businesses and increasing maximum award limits to £50,000.

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29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Energy Security and Net Zero linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that small businesses have access to affordable legal recourse in disputes with energy suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that small businesses have access to affordable legal recourse in disputes with energy suppliers.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Oct 2025 | Committee report linked

All small and micro sized businesses should be covered by the Energy Ombudsman to provide a streamlined and widely understood process for dispute resolution across the entire sector. The maximum pay award that the Energy Ombudsman can grant to businesses should be increased to £50,000, to reflect the scale of billing issues affecting some businesses. (Recommendation, Paragraph 97) Business and industrial energy costs

All small and micro sized businesses should be covered by the Energy Ombudsman to provide a streamlined and widely understood process for dispute resolution across the entire sector. The maximum pay award that the Energy Ombudsman can grant to businesses …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
8 May 2024 | Committee report linked

The BBRS is not fit for purpose in providing alternative dispute resolution to the 55,000 SMEs who fall outside of the FOS’ thresholds and this service should close as originally planned.

The BBRS is not fit for purpose in providing alternative dispute resolution to the 55,000 SMEs who fall outside of the FOS’ thresholds and this service should close as originally planned. Type: conclusion | Number: 8 | Paragraph: 60 | …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
8 May 2024 | Committee report linked

HM Treasury must find a way to continue to meet the dispute resolution needs of those SMEs ineligible for FOS access (including considering whether the FCA was correct in assuming that expanding the FOS’ thresholds would be a disproportionate cost). A consultation on a replacement mechanism must take place by year end 2024.

HM Treasury must find a way to continue to meet the dispute resolution needs of those SMEs ineligible for FOS access (including considering whether the FCA was correct in assuming that expanding the FOS’ thresholds would be a disproportionate cost). …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK