Call for Chancellor to act as local economies lost millions from pub closures in 2023

The latest pub closure figures from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) show local economies have taken a £100m hit from pub closures in 2023 alone, as consumers call for Government action in next week’s Budget. 

Figures collected by CAMRA’s grassroots campaigners across Great Britain reveal how dramatically the loss of pubs is making communities across the country poorer, showing the true value of these community hubs.

CAMRA’s pub closure statistics for 2023 published today show that:

• 194 pubs were lost forever due to conversion or demolition, including venues like the Crooked House in Himley. 
• A shocking 1,293 pubs closed their doors to their communities.

As the Spring Budget approaches, and as Local Authorities struggle to fund services, the true financial impact of pub closures is made stark as 2023 losses are counted.  

Having weathered the storm of the pandemic, a cost of business crisis and ongoing financial shocks, the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) report that 3 in 4 pubs were not profitable in 2023. Meanwhile, those that did not make it through the year represent as much as £100m lost to local economies, almost 20,000 jobs, and a staggering 64m fewer pints sold. 

The Campaign has called for the Government to introduce a package of measures in response. 

CAMRA’s Pub and Club Campaigns Director, Gary Timmins, said: “Communities up and down the country are not simply facing the loss of pubs, but also the jobs, investment, opportunities, and social spaces those pubs create. It’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgic idea of the pub as a British institution, but the positive impacts they have on people’s lives is very concrete.  

“Government inaction is putting tens of thousands of businesses on the line, and it’s vital that the upcoming Spring Budget provides a 20% draught duty relief, the removal of unnecessary red tape that currently prevents the sale of takeaway pints, and a VAT cut for hospitality. 

“Pubs, social clubs, brewers, cider makers and consumers urgently need cohesive leadership from the Government, not just piecemeal policy changes, and I hope these shocking figures are a catalyst for that shift.” 

Ends

Notes to editors: 

Full CAMRA pub closure data for 2023 (broken down by nation/English region) are available at https://camra.org.uk/campaign_resources/camra-pub-closure-report-2023/ 

Figures based on pubs injecting an average of £80,000 into their local economies, from “Pubs and places: The social value of community pubs”, Institute for Public Policy Research, available at https://www.ippr.org/articles/pubs-and-places-the-social-value-of-community-pubs  

Employment data from “Pub Statistics” House of Commons Library briefing paper, available at https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8591/CBP-8591.pdf  

Beer volumes from the BBPA Statistical Handbook, available at https://beerandpub.com/shop