Last orders: Pub numbers sink amid calls for further support
The number of pubs vanishing from communities in England and Wales increased by 50 per cent in the last three months, according to new data, amid warnings that more must be done to protect the great British institution.
During the three months to the end of September, 150 pubs were either demolished or converted into other types of use such as homes and offices, according to real estate adviser Altus Group.
That number is up 50 per cent on the 200 pubs which were lost for good during the first six months of the year.
The sharp jump in the number of pub closures comes after industry bosses have called on the government for further tax support as the colder months approach and rising operating costs continue to eat away at margins.
The Night Time Industries Association has forecast that up to seven in ten pubs could be forced to close due to soaring energy bills.
Pubs struggling to make a full post-pandemic recovery
According to the new data, there were 39,823 pubs at the end of September, compared to 39,973 at the end of June.
London said goodbye to a total of 13 pubs during the last three months.
Robert Hayton, UK president at Altus Group, said that “it beggars belief that a self-proclaimed low tax government could allow pubs to lose out to their business rates discount next April as well as seeing any benefit from next year’s revaluation potentially wiped out by inflation.”
Pubs were “desperately trying to keep their doors open” but had come up against “hurdle after hurdle” in their Covid recovery, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said.
The “deeply alarming” numbers were “unfortunately not surprising,” the industry group boss said.
While the government has pledged to offer businesses a six-month support scheme on energy bills, publicans were “still mostly in the dark ‘ about how helpful this aid would be, McClarkin said.
The BBPA has pressed the government for further detail about its proposed business energy cap.
On Friday, JD Wetherspoon warned that enticing punters back to its venues after the pandemic has proved “a momentous challenge.”
Consumers were now enticed to stay at home after developing a preference for cheaper drinks from supermarkets during the pandemic, said Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin.
He said that publicans had seen a “painstakingly slow” post-pandemic recovery paired with “great inflation in costs”.