Overview
- Downing Street signaled engagement with pub operators, with reports indicating a policy change for pub business rates will be announced in the coming days.
- The shift follows the scheduled end of pandemic-era hospitality relief from April and press projections of steep rate rises under the replacement regime.
- Trade bodies cite heavy costs, including a BBPA estimate of £150 million a year and a claim pubs would need to sell 1.3 billion extra pints, figures reported by the press rather than independently verified.
- Publicans staged high-profile protests, including more than 1,000 venues barring Labour MPs, and cross-party politicians urged ministers to rethink the plan.
- Operators want any support to extend to restaurants and hotels and seek definitions that do not exclude pubs with guest rooms, as individual venues report sharp revaluation-driven bill increases.