Energy support delays could prove costly as schools in limbo

School leaders have said that delays to government support with energy bills would be “incredibly costly” as fears grow that a package will not be ready by next month as promised.

Simon Beamish, the chief executive of the Leigh Academies Trust, said leaders were “totally in the dark” more than a week after Liz Truss, the prime minister, first promised an energy price guarantee.

Nick Gauntlett, the chief executive of Dukefield Energy, a consultancy, said that dozens of schools were “holding fire” on signing new deals, raising the risk of falling onto pricier variable tariffs. Many fixed deals expire next month.