Please Save Our Pubs: Letter to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP from UK pub lovers about the need for changes to support pubs in the Spring Statement 2025
We are writing to you as people who believe in the importance of pubs in the UK and the unique role they play in communities the length and breadth of the nation.
Our unique pubs, with their regional and national variations, are famous the world over and hugely important to the communities they serve. They are key to tourism and local economies as well as a huge contributor the UK economy as a whole and an employer of thousands of people.
Pubs are at risk as never before, due to the impact of the serious cost-of-living crisis following straight on from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and restrictions.
Now the huge cost hikes imposed in your ill-considered budget – which were the exact opposite of what was needed – threaten the future of thousands of pubs and we are writing to you, as pub lovers, urging you and the Government to change course and save pubs, instead of forcing them out of business.
Your October 2024 Budget was an attack on pubs
The reality is that your 2024 Budget, the effects of which hit pubs in April, was a disaster for pubs, hitting them with a huge cost hike on top of the cost-of-living crisis, sky high energy bills and spiralling prices.
The reality is that the Budget slapped a huge cost hike on pubs with the utterly ill-considered National Insurance (NI) rise for all employers, as the same time as slashing business rates relief and increasing wages and nearly all forms of alcohol duty (meaning suppliers putting their prices up to pubs yet again). This is a disastrous combination and one that literally means some pubs cannot survive. You need to think again.
Already pub prices have had to go up, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and inflation, with the price of beer and all other products supplied to pubs going up, but your huge Budget cost hikes mean pubs either have to raise prices even more or make significant cuts and many can do neither, without making it even harder or impossible for many people, who are also facing the cost-of-living crisis, to afford to go to the pub.
We need a change of course – NOT warm words
It is very easy for Ministers to pose with a pint in a pub, but doing so considering the reality of the Budget and its attack on pubs, doing this is frankly insulting.
The Prime Minister has recently said that he expressed his ‘support for pubs’ by backing the Daily Mirror’s campaign. He said, pubs are “hugely important” and that “they are the places where friends, family, community come together around something which is very British – the pub”.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has also given similarly warm words, claiming that she is “determined” to save community pubs – insisting: “We’re not ready to call last orders.”
Yet the Government’s Budget measures have indeed already called last orders for manypub jobs and businesses, and without a change of course they threaten many more pubs all over the UK.
Words are easy, but without actions to back them up, they are not only cheap, but dishonest.
Please announce genuine and direct support for pubs in the Spring Statement – or you’ll find there will be far fewer pubs for Ministers to pose for photos in!
What you and the Government need to do to save pubs and support them through this crisis
• Please rethink your two major cost shocks to our industry this April, in the form of a huge cut to business rates relief and a major hike in Employers National Insurance contributions. Alternatively provide equal direct support or tax cuts. The entire hospitality sector is crying out for an emergency VAT cut and we say this must include all drinks, including alcoholic drinks, or it would be a disastrous blow to the thousands of wet led pubs currently serving at the heart of their communities, and to the hard-working publicans that run them.
• Scrap the lowering of the threshold on NI, to allow pubs and other small businesses to continue to employ staff on part-time entry level jobs. The lowering of the threshold is disastrous for pub staff.
• Delay any cut to business rates relief until you deliver on the commitment to reform the unfair business rates system which sees pubs paying more than other types of small businesses.
• We also ask that you commission a study into Small Retailers’ (VAT) Relief, which would see small, independent businesses like pubs and small shops pay a lower level of VAT than large corporations (a measure which could be cost-neutral to the Treasury).
Finally, please also do not fall into the trap of believing that cutting beer duty helps pubs and publicans. Beer duty is a production tax, not a tax on pubs, and any freezes or reductions have a negligible impact on pubs while instead funnelling extra millions to global brewers. Last year you claimed to be ‘taking a penny off a pint’ when in reality your Budget will actually put the price of an average pint up by over 30p. Please don’t do this again – please give pubs the direct support they need, rather than giving millions to global brewers.
Change course and get pubs through the cost-of-living crisis
Please wake up to the damage your Budget is inevitably doing to pubs, literally forcing some of them out of business. If you care about pubs, you need to listen and change course and give meaningful support to pubs.
The future of pubs is in your hands and we urge you to do the right thing and support and save pubs in the Spring Statement.
Yours sincerely,
| Forename | City | Your Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Forename | City | Your Comments |
| Hannah | Manchester | Working class people are being priced out of pubs and we’re losing a staple of UK culture – the pub community. |
| Jack | London | Here here! |
| Diane | Ewhurst Cranleigh | Pubs are a great British Institution. Two have just closed near me. Starmer and Reeves are changing Britain for the worst and taken Great out of Britain…. Nightmare…. |
| Leslene | Tolpuddle | We have a small village pub, please don’t shut our doors. |
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| Claudine | Amsterdam | Hi, Your brand deserves to stand out, and we’re here to help. At Global Wide PR, we specialize in connecting businesses with top media platforms to increase visibility and credibility. As a gesture to get started, we’re offering a free article on Digital Journal—a great way to showcase your business to a wider audience. For those looking to maximize exposure, we can also feature your brand on affiliates of FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, and 300+ other sites for just $297. These placements can help you build trust and attract new customers. To take advantage of this opportunity, click the link below to sign up on our site, and we’ll get back to you ASAP: https://bit.ly/gwidepressrelease Looking forward to helping your brand shine! Best regards, Claudine Global Wide PR We respect that our emails may not always be relevant. To unsubscribe from our list, please complete the unsubscribe form with your website address: bit. ly/unsubscribemeurl |
| Tom | London | . |
| Sally | Stourbridge | With out the pub that I work it, there would be a lot of lonely people. Especially the elderly. We have a proper community and help each other. |
| Martin | Bury St. Edmunds | Please help save the pub heritage of this country. |
| Diana | Nottingham | My outlet has seen a massive decline in business over the last year or so. We pride ourselves in being a community hub where we all look after each other and help each other out, young and old. We are barely making end’s meet and it would be devastating to our community if we were forced to close. I fear any further price increases would see the end of this well established 22 year old business. |
| Thomas | Emsworth | Vat cut is crucial to hospitality |
| Deborah | Hebden Bridge | We need help urgently This is vital in keeping communities together |
| Louise | Aylesbury | Our industry is being killed! |
| Amy | Exmouth | Save our pubs. |
| Brian | York | Time to make good the spin. |
| Sarah | Angmering | Need to do so much more to help pubs survive as they are a dying trade as we all struggle and have never fully recovered from covid, our pub has been here since 1503. Reduce VAT, make Brewery’s look at rent reductions to coincide with what the yearly turnover is and reduce if needed. Places like Heineken and Star Pubs are volchers and would rather see pubs shut than help if means they might not get as much money. Reduce business rates. Also utilities which are ridiculous so if low turnover to what used to do the help them the following year by reducing so pubs have a chance to catch up with cash flow and repairs. |
| zoe | Looe | For the sake of the community alone we need our village hubs.This pub has been standing 500 years and NOW its suffering? |
| Garry | Looe | There pub is a lifeline to a lot of our customers. |
| Saoirse | London | Our industry is dying |
| Rachel | Bradford | Do not kill off out heritage. Our social life. Don’t kill the pubs and people’s livelihoods,who they work so hard for. Shame on you Labour. |
| Emma | East Sussex | There needs to be further support so we can support our villages |
| Lisa | Tenbury Wells | As a landlady for 11 years I have seen our pub help time and time again not only the community from whom we employ our staff but individuals, old or lonely, young or on the wrong path, pubs are an essential part of their life and need to be protected |
| Lucy | Telford | Something desperately needs to be done to save pubs and publicans |
| Joanne | Bingley | Help is needed as a life line to pubs, restaurants and tourism. |
| Victoria | Bradford | The pub is somewhere we go to socialise with friends and family and a stop with the dog after a long walk, current costs are making it harder and harder to do that |
| Julie | Manchester | Save our pubs |
| Tracy | Bingley | Support local pubs. Hubs of the community! |
| Catherine | Staveley | Please lower the vat and help High electric bills perhaps lower the vat on pubs doing less that 450,000 per yearb |
| Karen | Ilkley | This letter is worded perfectly and I am sure most public and will wholeheartedly agree with every word. |
| Pau | Northampton | Save our pubs |
| Gill | Watford | The obvious answer to the problem is to repeal alcohol licences from supermarkets. Which would make more revenue for the government some to appropriate taxes being paid. The supermarkets can profit on thousands of products. While hospitality struggles as they have limited output. |
| Tracy | Boscastle | The hub of the community. Meeting place for many. Only socialising for many. Employment for millions. Why do you feel us such a threat when all we do is serve our community and support our raise thousands for charities |
| Carol | Norwich | Please read and action to support our local pubs Thank you |
| melissa | Norwich | Small business such as pubs should not be treated the same as large national companies. These changes will close pubs and stifle the economy |
| Amy | Eastleigh | Thanks for reading |
| Pete | Ross-on-wye | I work harder for the government now than my 10 years in the Army. We literally run this pub to pay the VAT each quarter. There’s nothing left and then we have corporation tax on so called profit that in reality does not exist. Supermarkets are gifted their VAT back and use alcohol as a loss leader. Some health message that. |
| Judith | Chester | Please read this and take it seriously. This affects real people’s lives. Their work, and , in many cases, their home. The worry that this is causing is actually making people ill. Look at this as a human, not just as a politician. |
| Mike | Norwich | Pubs matter. They are far more than places for imbibing alcohol. They are important, and in some cases vital, social outlets for isolated folk and isolated communities throughout the country. They need help and encouragement and, ideally, liberating from the larger pub companies! Raise taxes on the wealthiest in the community, if only by a small percentage. Few will really feel it ! Some would even be happy to see it used to help poorer folk. |
| CHRISTINE | Bingley | A vital part of every community. People need to be able to socialise without having to pay increased prices. Important for local musicians, other small amateur entertainment companies. Not to mention the actual pub staff. Drink & food suppliers etc. So many people involved in the running of bars & pubs. Wanted their jobs to continue & keep our historic social meeting places open. |
| Tracie | Lincoln | Sick to death of looking on my Facebook and seeing more pubs have closed . Something needs to happen to save our pubs our home and jobs. |
| Emma | Norwich | I’m fully behind this campaign as a pub lover and a real ale micro brewery owner. Viable local pubs are vital for small businness but are such a central part of the community. They are hubs for people of all backgrounds to meet, socialise, feel welcome, learn from each other and part of society. |
| Norman | Bristol | My local is on its knees already – please spare it from further cost burdens which offer no compensating benefits to it or its customers. |
| Rob | Bradford | Please listen. |
| RICHARD | SHEFFIELD | If the pub dies, England dies |
| Matthew | Maidstone | If you don’t do anything so many businesses will be lost!!, is it going to have to take us to do something to get you to see what you are doing!. |
| Liam | Weymouth | We already have a generation of young people and illegal immigrants claiming benefits and not working or paying into our flawed system that has not supported the working manor women for too long! With the minimum wage rises there will be another generation of young people that can’t find the jobs or even the hours they need if they have a job! Hospitality is essential for our youth to gain skills they just don’t naturally have these days in this digital world! Sort it out |
| Paul | Winchelsea | Something needs to change, we are drowning in tax, and customers are fed up with the huge price of going to the pub. |
| Pryce | Cambridgeshire | We have just opened a bar & kitchen in a community development that has not had a space to socialise. The community has struggled to find an identity, neighbours are strangers. Our pub has thus far, benefitted this community and we hope to continue this. We employ 25 people, the majority of these employees, live in on this development. Pubs help to eliminate loneliness and build communities. By introducing such stifling taxes will mean (if we are not forced to close due to this) a reduction in employment and potentially income, therefore adding to unemployed figures. |
| Emma | Sheffield | Reduce VAT on food, none alcoholic & low alcohol to 8% and alcohol to 12% With out significant support we will be cutting jobs, hours & investment and putting prices up significantly causing further problems to the economy. We have wage rises NIC RISES bottle tax – we already pay for our glass to be removed and recycled Unregulated commercial energy rises BR rises Rent increases Supply chain increases. VAT at 20% across the board. Lower it for pubs and raise it for supermarkets! |
| John | Slough | Help us save the pubs. |
| Nicola | Blackburn | All these increases are going to cause our pubs to shut down, putting an end to our Great British Tradition and forcing more people out of a job and onto the benefit system. |
| John | Ampthill | Pubs need your help. |
| Alan | Norwich | A pub is more than a place to drink. It is part of the fabric of society. There are many social benefits offered by a pub, at the very least being a controlled venue for alcohol consumption. It is a unique British institution, as is the brewery trade. Both need targeted support to maintain the current situation. Failure to do so would be to directly contribute to the decline of a special part of our lifestyle. |
| Rosie | London | Help us save the pubs. The only place where community is left |
| John | Norwich | The pub is more than just a place to drink alcohol. For some it is a social hub and their only contact with other people. |
| Darren | Norwich | Pubs are more than somewhere that people go for a drink. They are community hubs and also incredibly important for small businesses like mine to make connections and drum up new trade |
| Craig | Winterton | Save our pubs or put people on the unemployed list |
| Kate | Winchester | We are a rapidly expanding and busy pub and yet we are struggling to make a profit. The increases in NI contributions and minimum wage will hugely hit our labour heavy industry and without changes to what is as unfair tax system on hospitality many businesses will fail. How can it be fair that we pay 20% VAT on all food and drink sold whereas the large supermarkets are taxed nothing on the sale of ready meals and meal deals that directly compete with us. Despite making no profit over the past 4 years we have paid £100,000’s in tax (VAT, Employee NI and business rates) if governments continue not to ignore us we won’t exist and that will lead to a loss of jobs and tax income. It’s time to level the playing field and give us a real chance, as an industry we aren’t looking for support we are looking for a fair system! |
| Nige | Thetford | I voted Labour because I thought they would make a real change, but reading this , they have not. Please reconsider the facts above and save our pubs |
| David | Hull | Please please please save our industry |
| David | Hull | Please please please save our industry |
| Susan | Hull | Please do something for our pub industry. Been doing this job for 25 years and never know it so bad |
| Vaughan | Norwich | Save our pubs, they are important small businesses! |
| Rebecca | Norwich | Stop taxing us ordinary poor people to death . It’s gone beyond a joke when u can’t afford to go for a pint on a Friday night |
| Sally | London | The increase we have to factor in mean our locals are being priced out of a pint . A small local pub employs local people , you seem to want small businesses to fail how will this help the economy? |
| Rebecca | Neath | . |
| Sally | Askam | Have had our pub for 18 years, we need all the help we can get |
| Pauline | Epworth | Pubs and restaurants will become extinct |
| Karen | Goole | From someone due to take over a village pub, who wants to ensure it remains the hub of that village |
| Suhail | Midhurst | Fully support all the comments. Publican for 35 years, have seen the industry struggle with varying changes both financially and socially. Save our pubs please!!! |
| Brendan | Chorley | It 8s time to that pubs right. |
| Samantha | Exeter | After 23 years of being in the same pub, life has never been more difficult! I worry every day about finding enough money to pay the bills, let alone have money to survive with a family. My pub is the heart of our village, the social hub that a lot of people need to not be alone. Why are you making things so hard for us? What have we done so wrong, we diversify in every way possible to keep our heads above water & continue to provide a much needed service to our locals, yet still don’t cover the bills. Suicide in publicans has increased as has mental illness, are you trying to kill us all off like your are our local farmers? |
| Becki | Margate | Pub business is becoming an ever faster dying trade! This is so sad to see as they are not just a place to drink but a social hub and sometimes I life saver for people going through a hard time. They are the focal point of a social society, becoming less and less with the pressures of running such business in current times. Please do something to change this! |
| Dean | Derbyshire | Please help us all |
| Gary | Walsall | Pubs and Clubs are the beating heart of the community. We all need to come together and socialise. |
| Sally | Ipswich | As a publican for 6 years now, we have gone from running a healthy small business that offered us a good lifestyle and income to not taking any sort of wage ourselves and having to take on a second part-time job to be able to have any disposable income whatsoever. Over this time our pub has remained busy, our turnover has increased by 80% but net profit has gone down from £30,000 per year to £12,000 last year. Hence needing another income just to live. It is making us seriously question whether we carry on. This is not just about businesses failing, this is about busy, community pubs closing because the owners are no longer prepared to get up every day just to collect money from customers to pay tax, utilities and other bills. We have also considered the route of registering as a charity or CIC, to keep the pub going but hopefully have access to grants to help maintain our building etc. The industry needs a seismic change for small, independent pubs like ours, so the suggestion above of a separate status for our community pubs would be a huge step forwards. |
| Mason | Doncaster | We are struggling extremely and would like a drop in VAT which is strangling us atm, High costs beer price increases are destroying the great British pub, Please help us to keep our pub in a village of 700 people, 70% pensioners who need the support from our pub |
| Mark | Wigan | Save our pub |
| Glenn | Wheathampstead | Pubs are hubs. Communities will suffer. Part time jobs for students will be lost. Save our pubs |
| Anita | Canterbury | Please save us |
| Rebecca | Billericay | I am a pub owner & am very worried for my business . Each week I just about pay the bills & staff. Please reconsider your decisions. |
| Andy | Stockton-on-tees | Ok |
| Tracy | Braintree | Pubs are an integral part of our communities. Sometimes the only company people get is by popping into their local |
| Alan | Margate | We need help not taxed |
| Jason | York | Please consider the effect the hike in costs in an industry that is still recovering from covid lock downs We are already planning to work with a smaller team due to the rise in NIC and minimum wage, this means less jobs and more people claiming benefits. Surely this defeats the object of the budget! |
| Jacqueline | London | See my comment below |
| Jacqueline | London | Our local pub, the Waverley Arms gives us the social engagement that is so vital for community cohesion. It provides excellent food and a great welcome. As older people we really appreciate the break from routine that it provides for us to go there least once a week and it would be heartbreaking to see it close, particularly since the publican has worked tirelessly to have achieved such an amazing success. and excellent reputation. |
| Jacqueline | London | Our local pub, the Waverley Arms gives us the social engagement that is so vital for community cohesion. It provides excellent food and a great welcome. As older people we really appreciate the break from routine that it provides for us to go there least once a week and it would be heartbreaking to see it close, particularly since the publican has worked tirelessly to have achieved such an amazing success. and excellent reputation. |
| Douglas | London | As a publican, I am really worried about surviving over the next year! In fact the budget I write is about how much I will lose, not what I can make! Things need to change or small independent owners, like myself, have no chance of survival! |
| Paul | York | I fear it will make no difference. I don’t think this far left government wants people socialising. It wants them in front of the TV where they can be brainwashed. |
| Charlotte | Huntingdon | As a publican I can’t not express how important these changes would be. |
| Tony | London | Please also outlaw the pernicious, anti-competitive restrictive practice “Beer Tie” pedalled by Pub Owning Businesses throughout the UK and inflating consumer prices and dictating limited consumer choice! “The Beer Tie” is not fit for purpose except lining the pockets of Pub Owning Businesses at the expense of hard-working struggling publicans and the consumer! |
| Rob | Melton Mowbray | As a service provider to the hospitality sector it is vital that they are given support to help them through these tax rises and the insistence of the government to destroy small businesses. You must give this industry confidence in their future by either u turning on your tax increase or cutting vat to 12%. If these measures aren’t implemented you will see a dramatic increase in the unemployed and failure of businesses in the hospitality sector. For the love of God can you start taking advice from people with experience rather than the advisers you are currently listening to who seam to be lacking common sense!. |
| Jon | York | Save our pubs ! |
| Peter | Portsmouth | Save our pubs! We have lost far too many in Portsmouth and Hampshire already. |
| Denise | Portsmouth | Save our pubs! We have lost too many in Portsmouth already! |
| Katy | Northamptonshire | As a small village with no shop and now no pub, we need you to act. Our pub was bought by someone who has never opened it, never intends to as is just waiting get change of use. Our community group is still battling 4 years on to buy it. Now the COF funding has stopped, we’re relying on the support of our village. How can a community owned pub actusurvive when the Government, who may I add promised so many things prior to Election of what they would do, continue to raise prices and council tax on properties. |
| Emma | Burton on Trent | We are very worried about the future of our pub and the jobs of those who work there so please do what you can. |
| Neil | York | Please don’t put any more pressure on our pubs. |
| Wendy | Ashford | Pubs are absolutely essential for many communities, not just watering holes. They are social clubs, comfort & safety, provide a warm welcoming environment, a place for young adults to cut their teeth and learn how to socialise in an adult environment and much much more. Hospitality in general is one of the biggest employment sectors in the UK, no pubs no jobs, unemployment rises, probably closely followed by an increase in crime. Take the pub companies to task, slash taxes & businesses rates. Reduce VAT for pubs (not the corporations) give tenants that live in the same legal protection against eviction as any other private tenant. Please, pubs are on a terrifying decline and we need help |
| Paul | York | Please help save our industry and the heritage of what makes the United Kingdom great. Save our Pubs |
| Helen | Braunton | Helen Michael |
| Yvonne | Dunsfold | This letter absolutely cuts through all the nonsense from MPs and gives an accurate picture of the current REAL DANGER facing The Great British Pubs right now thanks to Rachel Reeves. My pub has been at the heart of this community for 400 years, wouldn’t it be amazing if it was still here in another 400 years? Action is needed right now by the Labour Government or they will be seen at the next election as signing the death knoll of the historic Great British Pub, |
| Paul | Gravesend | Pubs are dying in the 100’s per year. It seems that no one in power cares. Please note that many pubs are run by individuals, either on a freehold or leasehold basis and they need to be understood separately from those run by pub chains or breweries. |
| Bryan | Scorton | As a pub landlord, I can honestly say if things don’t change I will lose my livelihood and home within 6 months. |
| Alan | Spennymoor | Please reconsider your approach, which is doing more damage than good |
| Mike | Leeds | Please reconsider your approach |
| Paul | York | Pubs are vital to our communities and are too important to lose. |
| Marianne | Lincoln | Please support this campaign and help pubs survive as the precious hubs of community life they have been for so many years. |
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| Geoff | Portland | When you lose the last of your Inn’s, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England. Belloc. |
| Claudine | Hempstead | Hi, Your brand deserves to stand out, and we’re here to help. At Global Wide PR, we specialize in connecting businesses with top media platforms to increase visibility and credibility. As a gesture to get started, we’re offering a free article on Digital Journal—a great way to showcase your business to a wider audience. For those looking to maximize exposure, we can also feature your brand on affiliates of FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, and 300+ other sites for just $297. These placements can help you build trust and attract new customers. To take advantage of this opportunity, click the link below to sign up on our site, and we’ll get back to you ASAP: https://bit.ly/globalwidpr Looking forward to helping your brand shine! Best regards, Claudine Global Wide PR We value your preferences and understand that our emails may not always be relevant. To stop receiving communications from us, please fill out this quick form with your website address: bit. ly/unsubscribemeurl |
| Terry | Uxbridge | Protect our pubs! |
| Michael | Stoke-Sub-Hamdon | Pubs are the heart of our communities. They must be preserved and protected. |
| Phillip | Shanklin | We must keep pubs alive,all our traditions are being erased. This must not be allowed to continue 🇬🇧 |
| Neil | Derby | Pubs are vital to the happiness and wellbeing of the nation. Please use every lever possible to enable them to survive – and then thrive. |
| Stuart | Halifax | Save the Pubs. |
| Toby | Winchmore Hill | Pubs are at the heart of their communities, they are a beacon for the lonely, they are a great place to meet your mates and help with your mental health. They are often historic and cultural bastions, a reminder of better times and better days when community in this country actually meant something. They are closing faster and faster and we need them now more than ever. |
| Paul | Ottery St Mary | Pubs are at the heart of many a community and one of the few meeting places left for people of all ages. Please don’t let them die |
| Pete | mirfield | stop ruining our pubs |
| Ian | Birmingham | I think the Govt seriously underestimate the importance and value of many of our Pubs. They seriously are a lifeline for many communities, where it’s not just about drinking, but companionship for many single, lonely people. Activities, support, entertainment, looking after ill and elderly. In our local, this is crucial and someone from the Government should take time out and visit to see how important our ‘pub hub’, The Bird In Hand’ is. I have been involved in a monthly ‘Wellbeing’ meeting at our Award-Winning pub, for a couple of years now and we cannot have these places wiped from our communities and left to go empty and derelict, as so many have. This just adds to the depressing scene when added to all the other retail outlets and businesses that are closing. I have no particular ‘political persuasion’ but just want those decisionmakers to stop the Country going further into a spiral of doldrums and decay. Please think again. |
| Philip | Powys | We have 1 pub to let and 1 for auction and 2 pubs up for sale just within 2 miles of where I live |
| John | Altrincham | Please make your actions match your words. |
| David | York | They provide a refuge for families growing in size, due to cost of housing. |
| Donald | Dumfries | help |
| Jane | York | Save our pubs |
| Victor | staines | Save our pubs! |
| Alan | Mablethorpe | I retired from the Hospitality Industry some six years ago and know first hand how much pubs mean to people generally and provide much cohesion for local communities. I also know that vast amounts of money are raised for the Exchequer in addition to the amounts raised for local and national good causes. I would have thought a Labour government would have wanted to support the industry and not be the harbinger if its demise. |
| Joe | York | Too many pubs have been lost over the years – we can’t afford to lose anymore because of increasing costs to the people who run them. I understand the damage that was done to the country during the years of Tory Government and the need for tough decisions but hitting pubs is counterproductive |
| S | Manchester | Pubs are an important cultural and social venue. |
| James | Bishopthorpe | The whole leisure sector is under intolerable pressure and needs help and understanding. |
| Andrew | Bridlington | As to high taxes on beers and spirits and it’s making at harder for landlords to make a profit as all other bills and wages are going up and pushing to go under. As less people are not going out for a beer as to cost. |
| Martin | Bury St. Edmunds | Pubs play a vital role in local communities. They help establish a community spirit and a source of information and assistance for residents, while also helping to reduce mental health issues related to loneliness and isolation. They provide employment in the community and are often a source of other related activities such as sports clubs which improve the general health and wellbeing of the community. They’re also, when run well by a committed and enthusiastic landlord, a lot of fun. I trust is that the Chancellor recognises the importance of pubs and that a community needs a beating heart and that part of that heart is a good, wholesome, happy public house. This is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which sets out to save local assets for the benefit of communities. Landlords are already struggling to survive against the current economic climate. Please do what you can to protect our pubs. |
| Owen | Barnet | There are several old and well used pubs in Barnet. They offer a warm welcome to their customers and deserve fairer treatment from the government. |
| Robert | Monmouth | Pubs are still closing at an alarming number and the chancellor must ensure urgent financial support is made available in the forthcoming budget. The hospitality sector is on it’s knees andcannot be allowed to decline further. |
| Valerie | Bromsgrove | It is important to keep these establishments open . They are an important part of our community, |
| Steve | Rowlands Castle | The price of a pint went up 20p in my local a couple of days before your first budget last October. Prices went up again by 20p this week, presumably ahead of the impending Spring statement and April’s NI increases, which I expect will be the excuse the pubco wants to impose a further price increases. As a pensioner who is now paying tax on his enhanced state pension this is an outrageous increase year on year. October’s 1p reduction in draft ale duty went straight into the pockets of the multinational brewers and highlights your lack of understanding of the hospitality business. Everything is conspiring against the simple enjoyment of a pint in a local pub by ordinary people. Only the supermarkets will benefit as more people are forced to drink cheaper at home, and our cherished pub institution will be in even greater decline. |
| Kjartan | York | Once gone, most pubs won’t return. Please save them.. |
| Danny | Maidstone | Please save our pubs |
| Frank | Pontefract | Far too many pubs are going bust and being held to ransom by greedy Pubcos, it has to stop. |
| James | West Molesey | …., |
| Graham | London | I am very worried about the survival rate of our local pubs – so many round my way have closed down in recent years. They are so much part of British life and i want them to still be a part of it in the years to come. Anything you can do to ease the pressure would be very much appreciated. Thank you. |
| Neil | Cambridge | Love our local pubs……THEY NEED HELP …..NOT MORE CHALLENGES! |
| Russ | Norwich | Pubs, particularly in the area I live are often the hub of the community, not just somewhere to have a drink, but a place to meet and socialise, also supporting not just darts or billiards teams but footballl, rugby, and other sports activities |
| Peter | YORK | Please.do whatever you can to preserve our pubs, part of our cultural heritage. |
| Peter | London | Stop the increase in National Insurance |
| Richard | York | Pubs are many people’s community centres, as well as a vital part of English heritage. Please do not go down in history as the chancellor who closed the pub! |
| Rosy | York | Pubs are a social essential. |
| Martin | Bournemouth | Pubs are a vital social safe space for meetimg and discussion,beyond purely entertainment venues,they provide a community service |
| John | Bournemouth | We need to protect our pubs, and bars, they are necessary for our mental health, especially when you get older. |
| Robin | Hook | We need our community pubs especially in rural areas as a meeting place and support hub as government support is diminished . |
| Michael | Leighton Buzzard | Government need a new strategy for bars and pubs. |
| Carol | Liverpool | Our Pubs are fighting for survival and we need your help before we lose any more. Please please respond urgently. |
| Georgia | Basingstoke | Please stop fucking up the country |
| Margaret | Poole dorset | Please reconsider your actions, our pubs are disappearing at an alarming rate, they are so essential to our communities |
| Trevor | Bournemouth | Please stop burdening pubs with increased National Insurance and please stop blaming the previous Government |
| Sophie | Winchester | Pubs provide many beneficial aspects- as an opportunity for people to socialise, offering a sense of community and belonging in times where social isolation is on the rise. They are culturally and historically significant- many beautiful old buildings sold off no longer provide a connection to our shared past. Pubs are much more than alcohol! |
| Carli | Basingstoke | The pubs ate already hit by people spending less due to the cost of living crisis. Please do not put them in a worse position. |
| Mitchell | Basingstoke | Save The Pubs! |
| Cane | Basingstoke | I used to visit my local pub most days for the social aspect. Only go every now then these days as way to expensive. Not there fault. Local pubs cannot compete with Wetherspoons which I do not particularly like as it does not have the same atmosphere as local pubs where you know most people or used to. |
| Andy | Poole | Please don’t let pubs die as they are the hub of the community |
| Andrew | Basingstoke | Save our pubs. |
| Adam | Dorset | Please think about your actions and the reactions it will cause Be proactive |
| Anneka | Basingstoke | Save the pubs! |
| Kimberley | Basingstoke | Pubs are an important part of uk community. |
| Brent | Basingstoke | As a pub landlord the constant increase on prices is crippling. There seems to be no end to it. |
| J Michael | Poole | It’s utter madness to tax higher a sector already on it’s needs. |
| John | Sherborne | Please please please!!!! |
| Peter | Poole | I feel that we are being push closer to the edge everytime you bring in new rules on taxation don’t you think you should be looking long and hard at the big companies selling alcohol so cheep the hospitality industry can’t compete with the pricing I read last year that alcohol related health problems cost the NHS over £5 billion, well don’t point the finger at hospitality look to the supermarket doing cheap alcohol which thr customer can drink unregulated at home where as if in a pub thay are regulated on there consumption, plus the ever shrinking pub is taking away a very important social aspect of society |
| Darren | Swindon | The death of brewers and pub is coming |
| Samantha | Bournemouth | The current budget is killing many small businesses and particularly pubs. Please rethink it. All you’ll end up with is more unemployed staff and loss of revenue for the government when many gave to close down. |
| Kacey | Poole | Prices are starting to get out of hand! |
| Robert | Poole | Our pubs are closing because of high operators costs |
| Richard | Rochester | This is an utterly disastrous policy from a Government that supposedly wants to see growth. The pub industry has been on its knees for years and although has benefited from support related to Covid years, it is a sector that is just surviving, not thriving and this policy will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for many excellent pubs. You probably don’t need to be made aware of the economic benefits of pubs, but the social benefits need reiterating- they promote community cohesion, reduce isolation and many raise thousands for local charities. They are the heartbeat of the country. Please reconsider. |
| Tim | Poole | Public houses are a hub of the community and too many are closing every month. They need the support more than ever, from the government to survive and carry on with this important social hub. The publican and staff are doing their best and are committed to serving, as a local business. So as a government, you can play your part in protecting this national institution. Don’t let them down. We can’t change the past, but can change the future. |
| Jacqueline | Dorset | We are a small independent family run pub ,we employ local people mainly young adults, we train the future generation of employees and do a great job of preparing them for future employment We are on our knees trying to keep up with rising costs. Please help us |
| Jeremy | Poole | Please reconsider these unfair policies, that threaten the hospitality trade |
| Andy | Dorset | So you take 1 pence of a pint. But reduce rate relief from 70 % to 40%. You increase national insurance and minum wage. Nothing wrong with minum wage but the rest is not fair. Labour You won’t get in next time. Ps I freezing and not even a pensioner yet 64 |
| Mark | Poole | As a publican, the budget as it stands is going to destroy many livelihoods and increase unemployment. Choosing this sector was a mistake, Mr Starmer knows this and says he backs The Mirrors campaign… you need to do this too. Reverse the NI changes and restore the 75% rates relief. |
| Michelle | Poole | The upcoming increases in employers NI combined with the Business rates increase due to the rates relief being cut aswell as ever increasing costs in general is becoming more and more worrying as a business owner. After many years in the pub industry that I love, all of these increases in costs is making it harder and harder to survive and I fear many businesses will be out of business in the not to distant future if changes aren’t made. |
| NormN | Southampton | Our small community pubs are the heart and sole of our community. Also the base for most socialists members. They now need your support. |
| Gareth | Oxfordshire | There are many publicans in Oxfordshire worrying or reducing their business as a result of the Government’s policies |
| Nigel | Poole | I know far too many licensees who are extremely concerned about how their businesses will survive next month. |
| Greg | Otley | Last year’s Budget was a disaster for pubs, during this serious cost of living crisis. Please sign this letter and share it, to get the message across that the Chancellor needs to think again and support pubs, not force them out of business through huge tax hikes. |
