Number of pubs in England and Wales falls to its lowest number since records began
04.07.2022 - 19:25
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
There are now fewer pubs in England and Wales than there have ever been since records began. There are now less than 40,000 in all, the first time the number of pubs has ever dropped below that figure.
There are now 7000 fewer than there were just a decade ago. A massive 200 pubs closed down in England and Wales from the end of 2021 up until the end of June this year, taking the total number down to just 39,973 pubs.
The West Midlands saw the biggest drop, losing 28 to closure in only half a year, followed by London and the East of England, which both lost 24 pubs. A huge number of factors leading to the drop in pub numbers are currently in play.
Many simply failed to survive the pandemic, despite valiant efforts undermined by constantly changing rules, the necessity for enhanced hygiene measures, one-way systems and measures like fitting perspex screening. Such overheads and localised lockdowns were ultimately too much for many businesses, despite a suspension of higher VAT rates and other government schemes like Eat Out To Help Out.
In the wake of the pandemic, pubs were then hit with sharp cost of living increases, from food and beer to crippling energy costs and now record-high inflation. Shocking research from the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and UKHospitality, shows that just 37% of hospitality businesses are now turning a profit.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “When pubs are forced to close it’s a huge loss to the local community, and these numbers paint a devastating picture of how pubs are being lost in villages, towns and cities across the country.
“As a sector we have just weathered the hardest two years in memory, and we