London pub closures reach 11 week, says British Beer and Pub Association

3rd December 2009, 11:12am

Eleven pubs are closing every week in London, according to new figures for the capital issued today by the British Beer & Pub Association.

The latest BBPA regional survey data for the capital shows in total, 281 pubs closed their doors for the last time, in the first half of 2009.

Other southern regions have also been hit by pub closures, with pub closures in the Meridian region at eight per week.

Anglia region pub closures are four per week, and in the south west, the figure is three per week.

To reflect concern in London and the south over pub closures, regional pub leaders are meeting with MPs in the Red Lion pub in Westminster today (Thursday), to sign up to a new campaign, "I'm backing the pub" – calling on consumers, publicans, politicians and all who value the British beer and the British pub to sign up in support.

The campaign manifesto, called "The life and soul of Britain's communities", calls on the Government to reverse the 8% increase in duty on beer imposed at the time of the VAT cut last January when VAT returns to its 17.5% rate on 1 January 2010, and to scrap plans to increase duty by 2% above inflation in the Budget in March next year.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, said: "These new figures for London show that the loss of pubs in urban Britain is just as big a concern as pub closures in our more rural areas in the south of England. And wherever a pub closes, city or country, something precious about local community life is lost.

"It is time for action, and that's why we are today calling for support from all those who value the pub to work with us to adopt and implement policies to promote our much loved locals. We are therefore calling on all – including politicians and political parties - to back this agenda and to pledge their support for our 'I'm backing the pub' campaign."

Related Articles:

• 10 Aug 2010 - One of Hampstead's oldest pubs is safe from closure – for now

Click here to submit a comment!

john

21 December 2009 at 10:29pm

plain and simple bring in compromised smoking within our bars the Germans saw what was happening to their bars and acted straight away

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