Salisbury landlord concerned for future as many rural pubs on 'brink of closure'
A number of pub owners have taken part in a survey to see how businesses are doing
Last updated 17th Feb 2021
The landlord of a pub just outside of Salisbury says it is vital pubs are reopened soon and is concerned for their future.
Keith Smith, from the Fox and Goose in Coombe Bissett, has been taking part in rural pub survey by the Countryside Alliance alongside other landlords, which has seen many owners say they are on the brink of closure.
Keith told Greatest Hits Radio:
"The last year has been very very difficult, obviously the pandemic has affected everybody but it seems to have affected the hospitality industry a lot more. We try and keep a positive attitude and looking for the day that we can get back to our normality but it just seems to be getting further and further away.
At the moment we are getting mixed messages, you get one minister on one day saying there's a roadmap and we should be opening industries and the next day another minister says no we could be looking at the end of the year and you just do not know what's going on.
We are very concerned about the future of our pub, you don't know what's going to happen so you can't plan for the future, you can't just have a situation where the government says "oh by the way you can open tomorrow you carry on" it just doesn't work like that so we are worried about what we are going to get in support to help us until we can open fully."
What does the lockdown survey reveal?
The Countryside Alliance , a national rural campaigning organisation, has revealed the results from its recent rural pubs survey, as lockdown continues to bite.
The key findings include:
- 92% of landlords who responded want to scrap the requirement for customers to purchase a 'substantial meal'.
- Only 34% of those responding report they can last out being shut until Summer.
- Inability to sell alcohol as part of takeaways is having a negative impact on those pubs left open.
- Landlords split over reintroduction of 'Eat out to Help out' scheme.
- Some 80 landlords and pub owners from across the country took part in the survey, which was shared through the Alliance's rural business network.
70% of respondents think they will be able to survive if restrictions are lifted by April, when it is hoped that the vaccine should have been given to people in the most vulnerable groups.
However, when asked about being required to remain closed until June, the number drops to 37%.
When asked for what more could be done to aid their business, the top request mentioned was for business rates and VAT on beer to be scrapped or significantly reduced.
What does the Countryside Alliance want to see to support pubs?
Considering the views expressed by rural publicans, the Countryside Alliance is calling on the government to:
- Offer a practical road map for pubs and the hospitality industry at large to help them realistically prepare for when they can resume trading again;
- Allow those pubs that are continuing to operate safely as a takeaway service, to sell alcohol. The current set up is unfair, as supermarkets continue to sell alcohol;
- When pubs do reopen again, the requirement for patrons to purchase a substantial meal should be scrapped. It is unclear how this helps stop the spread of Covid and it is having and adverse impact on pubs at an already difficult enough time; and
- If forced to remain closed into the Summer months, provide these struggling businesses with increased financial support. We cannot see them fall by the wayside.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance said:
"Rightly much of the government's focus is on rolling out vaccinations across the country. It is only through doing this that we can seriously pave the way for returning to normality. Understandably, the underlying anxieties and hurt caused by Covid-19 across the pub industry remain very much alive. Pubs are at the forefront of their communities up and down the countryside and their loss would be both catastrophic and irreversible.
When the government address the matter of easing lockdown, pubs need a clear roadmap and sufficient, practical advance warning. Rules such as having to purchase substantial meals for example, need to be scrapped as this appears to be having an adverse effect on customer flow, something many pubs just can't afford. Financial security in the event of prolonged periods of closure is also key to their survival".