One local pub closing down every 12 hours

PUBS are closing down at a rate of one every 12 hours, latest figures reveal.

The Campaign for Real Ale says that 378 pubs shut down permanently between July and December last year in England, Scotland and Wales, representing more than 14 closures a week.

Since the start of last year some 854 have shut across Britain, but the decline has slowed since the 980 closures recorded in 2017.

There are now 40,683 pubs in England, 2,901 in Wales and 3,612 in Scotland, according to the figures.

Jackie Parker, Camra’s national chairman, said: “Pubs are a very important part of our national culture and are valuable community assets which help to combat loneliness and social isolation. It’s great we have seen a drop in the number of pubs closing and shows our campaign to get planning protection was worth it.

“Protecting pubs in the English planning system was a welcome move from the Government,” she said. “But it has taken nearly two years for the trickle-down effects to show.

“As the UK prepares to exit the European Union, the Government will have the freedom to reduce beer duty, specifically in pubs, levelling the playing field between the price of beer sold in social, community settings and cheap supermarket alcohol.”

She added: “This is one of three key measures the Government needs to take urgently to halt the tide of pub closures. We want full reviews of the business rates system to fix the unfair amount that pubs pay, and the ineffective legislation designed to enable pub tenants to get a fair deal from their big-business property owners – both moves that government has promised but is yet to carry out.”

The number of pub closures has dropped slightly from a rate of 18 a week during 2018.

The hardest hit areas include Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East, where one in 100 pubs have closed in the past year.