We urge the Government to take decisive action to support – and indeed save – many pubs andsmall breweries struggling due to the current and very damaging cost-of-living crisis.

The current crisis has led to a deeply worrying escalation of pub closures. Figures from the Altus Group, measuring the number of pubs that have closed down permanently because they have either been demolished or converted for use as homes or offices, shows that 383 pubs, more than two a day, permanently closed in the first six months of this year, almost matching the total for the whole last year, when 386 were permanently lost. This requires urgent Government action, to get pubs through this temporary but very serious crisis. At the same time, the number of small UK breweries going out of business tripled in the last year, according to research from accountancy firm Mazars who reported 45 breweries closing in the twelve months to March 31st 2023, compared to 15 bankruptcies in the year prior, Mazars said. We are aware of over 85 independent breweries closures…