Campaign to save pubs more important now than ever before
THE campaign Long Live The Local was launched in July 2018 to raise awareness of the high number of pub closures across the UK and to highlight that the UK has one of the highest beer duty rates in the world.
In three and a half years the campaign secured over 600,000 signatures in support of a beer duty cut, and 300,000 emails were sent to MPs. This has helped secure three consecutive freezes in Beer Duty.
The campaign relaunched in January 2022, partly to celebrate the important social, cultural and economic role pubs and breweries play in Britain, but also to remind people not to take them for granted.
It calls on the Government to invest in pubs and breweries through the reform of the unfair tax burden – specifically lower VAT and business rates for pubs, and reduce beer duty.
This will help pubs and brewers thrive in coming years. In turn, this growth will create more connected and vibrant communities, local investment and employment, thereby and ensuring our rich pub and brewing heritage will continue for future generations to enjoy.
The pandemic has massively increased the problems for pubs which have had a devastating winter. Although they need help and support, they are one of our most overtaxed industries, thus putting them under even more pressure. Long Live The Local has launched a petition to ask the government to lower VAT and business rates for pubs, and for an overall permanent reduction in beer duty as part of wider duty reform.
The petition is online at: www.longlivethelocal.pub.
At the time of writing, more than 53,000 have already sighed the petition – will you join them? The Long Live The Local campaign is backed by the British Beer & Pub Association.
A bar has reopened under a new name at the northern end of Lord Street. The Beer Inn at 657 Lord Street, Southport was originally called the Inn Beer Shop, and then later the Bottle Shop. When it first opened, it was the first micropub in Merseyside – in contrast nowadays, our area boasts quite a few.
I’ve yet to visit, but I know it serves one real ale, Southport Golden Sands, and an extensive selection of bottled beers.
The national CAMRA website is camra.org.uk.
The Southport & West Lancs Branch is at southport.camra. org.uk.