Founder & Publisher
Sam Allcock
Digital media entrepreneur and founder of Sheffield Business News
Verified contributor United Kingdom
Sam Allcock is a digital media and public relations entrepreneur and the founder and publisher of Sheffield Business News. He has built and runs a portfolio of independent online news and media brands, and oversees the title’s coverage of the companies, deals, people and ideas shaping business in Sheffield: from finance and professional services to commercial property, technology, startups, hospitality and people moves.
Analysis by Sam Allcock
- Companies
Sheffield business births fall 8.3% in the first half of 2026, more than twice the UK rate
Office for National Statistics figures show 1,050 new businesses in Sheffield from January to June 2026, down from 1,145 a year earlier, while 1,105 businesses closed.
- Hospitality
Sheffield seventh of 17 UK cities for food hygiene, with 194 premises awaiting inspection
An analysis of Food Standards Agency ratings by the training provider Virtual College gives Sheffield's food businesses an average of 4.61 out of 5, with 74.97% rated 5 and 1.27% rated 1.
- Finance
Sheffield diesel prices: 33.2p a litre separates the cheapest forecourt and the dearest motorway services
Official Fuel Finder figures to 22 October 2026 put diesel at 189.7p a litre at the cheapest forecourt open to all drivers in Sheffield and 222.9p at the dearest, against a Sheffield average of 198.3p and a UK average of 198.8p.
- Finance
Sheffield firms used 1,172 GWh of electricity in 2024 as Britain's smallest firms pay a record 38.36p a unit
Business electricity use in Sheffield was 23.4% lower than in 2015, while the smallest firms nationally paid 38.36p per kWh in Q2 2026.
- Property
Sheffield treated 4.4% of its minor roads in 2025/26, above the England figure of 3.0%
Department for Transport figures published on 14 October 2026 show maintenance work on 4.4% of Sheffield's B, C and unclassified roads, but on 1.3% of its A roads, against 6.9% across England.
- Finance
Sheffield Hallam has lowest benefits bill of 575 constituencies, TaxPayers' Alliance analysis finds
The campaign group put spending on six benefits in Sheffield Hallam at £80.8m in the 12 months to March 2026, while Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, in the same city, recorded £428.4m.