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Smoking ban and cheap tinnies put pubs in peril
Date published: 18 March 2009
NEARLY half of publicans believe their boozer may not be in business next year — according to a poll by the Liberal Democrats.
The survey, conducted in Oldham, found 44 per cent of respondents feared their business would not be operational this time next year.
Elwyn Watkins, parliamentary spokesman for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said: “Their biggest concerns were the low price of alcohol in the supermarket and the impact of the smoking ban as well as high brewery and supplier costs.
“Pubs are the unofficial community centres for many people. They can actually help combat binge drinking and can promote responsible behaviour.
“It is a pity to see many highly experienced and responsible landlords going to the wall.
“Unfortunately, with such low prices in supermarkets and the recession biting hard, many people are drinking — and smoking — at home. If the Government had wanted to find a way to deliberately close down pubs then they couldn’t have done a better job.
“If this trend continues we will all miss one of the traditional parts of English life.”
An estimated six pubs a day are closing nationally, with as many as 75,000 jobs under threat. This follows a recent announcement that 16 pubs have already closed across Oldham.
Comments
why is the pub a dying industry? because its been taxed so much it cannot take anymore!
tax on beer and spirits are so high that they just cannot compete at all. topped with the smoking ban this has finished off quite a few places already!
and when there's hardly any tax coming in from drink and smoking it'll be passed on to something else. like chocolate! it'll never stop while labour are in!
drop the tax on draught beer bang it on supermarket stuff.
Tax is a third. Remove the tax and your pint is still £2 a pint. Your 5 pint night out is £15 and would be £10 without the tax. They you'd pay it another way. Another myth put out by the beer industry.
if the government would stop paying such high wages to people who work in the commons and in banking and capped wages earned by any company owner the money saved would go back into the factories and give more people work and better wages, better home and more time with families and stop binge drinking at home
i owned one of the pubs that went under not just because of the government but the company that i ran it for and the cost of the beer that i have to pay to them to run it You can get beer at £122 a barrel but the companys were asking for £256 which would you pay?
Have Your Say
Surely we have to factor in the chance of getting your face smashed in when you go for a night out, thats why I usually stop in, its never a one on one fight nowadays its allways a gang of cowards being chicken.
By newteapot @ 18/03/2009 14:52:31