Overview
- Multiple outlets report officials are poised to announce targeted support for pubs within days after Autumn Budget changes drove steep increases, with The Times citing a £300 million package under consideration.
- Sector estimates indicate average pub bills rising about 76–78% over the next few years due to revaluation and the end of Covid-era discounts, while hotels face roughly 115% increases by 2030, with higher charges beginning in April.
- Downing Street said it values pubs and is engaging with affected businesses following a high-profile backlash that included more than 1,000 pubs banning Labour MPs.
- Hospitality leaders and coastal MPs are pressing for sector-wide relief that includes hotels, restaurants and live-music venues, warning of closures, job losses and harm to tourism-dependent towns.
- Operators and tax specialists criticize the valuation basis as detached from economic reality, citing pubs’ fair maintainable trade assessments and April 2024 rental snapshots as overstating the ability to pay.