Dying pubs: search for the bitter truth

The pub, post office and church used to be the staples of community life in Britain. Post office are closing and church attendance has dwindled since the Second World War. Now pubs — from the city bar to the village local — are also in decline. And a local councillor is so concerned he has asked for the problem to be examined by Oldham’s scrutiny committee members. Janice Barker looks at why campaigners, including a pop star, want to stop time being called

There’s no welcome at The Welcome Inn any more — the Abbeyhills Road landmark is boarded up and to let.

It’s a symbol of the decline of the industry — since 1997 there have been 3,530 pub closures in England, according to Treasury figures.

And politicians of all hues are worried about the downturn of Britain’s tradition pubs.

Before the general election the Tories raised the issue, blaming Labour’s rise in beer duty for pushing up the tax on alcohol above inflation.

And Oldham Council’s Labour leader Jim McMahon is so concerned he has asked for an overview and scrutiny review of the impact of pub closures.

Councillor McMahon, who represents Failsworth East, says he only has to look around his own area to see the impact of pub closures: “Over the past five years we have seen the closure of Star Inn, Streetbridge Inn, Bridge Inn, Brown Cow, Black Horse, Brookdale Inn, Foresters Arms, Cloggers Arms, Halfway House, Guido Inn and others which have been and gone.

“In addition there are currently seven on the market for sale or tenancy, some of which have little chance of being reopened.

“The impact of the closures are threefold — derelict buildings attract vandalism and other anti-social behaviour; the loss of a community hub; and the loss of some buildings which are important historically or architecturally.”

His concerns are being forwarded to the scrutiny committee members for a review in the next council year.

Council licensing staff say 11 licensees threw in the towel in Oldham last year, and gave up their licences. Others have closed their premises but hung on to their licences.

Lee LeClerq of the British Beer and Pub Association blames the recession and credit crunch, plus the last Labour Government.

He said: “There is no question that the pub industry has been badly treated over the last few years. Beer excise duty has risen 26 per cent over the last 30 months, and treated less favourably than wine and spirits.”

Competition from cheap booze in supermarkets, plus the smoking ban, have also contributed he said. But he conceded that the smoking argument is over now, mainly on health grounds.

But he said: “It was always going to disadvantage certain types of pubs, those that serve mainly drink rather than food, and perhaps don’t have the space to improve their food offering.

“Some of the pubs in urban areas don’t have the space for smoking shelters.”

But to fight back he says there should be a VAT difference between packaged alcohol and dispensed drinks: “A pint of beer in a glass should have less VAT than a packed product in a supermarket, which would still be cheaper, but would close the differential.

“Beer is also a low-alcohol product compared to alcopops and other spirit-based products, and should be treated favourably from a tax point of view.

“We’d also like to see people visiting pubs more regularly, and less red tape, from Government and councils as well.”

Former Beautiful South pop group member Paul Heaton, from Manchester, is currently on a one-man campaign to save the traditional pub by cycling 1,000 miles, visiting and performing in 16 local watering holes on his Pedals and Beer Pumps tour.

He began at the Flying Horse in Rochdale, and says we face losing the pub’s diversity which includes: “The cricket team coming in for a couple of shandies, sometimes a football team, different women’s groups, even a bit of pub rock — and all the history.”

Brewery and pub company JW Lees’ boss, William Lees-Jones, has had to close a few pubs on his estate, but has also taken over new ones.

He says the pub has to be at the heart of the community, and be wanted, to survive.

He said: “Britain has probably 10,000 more pubs than it can sustain, with the credit crunch, alcohol duty, and cheap prices in supermarkets.

“A lot of pubs have no reason to be, they have no soul and no place in the community.”

Communities change, he said, and what was once the Elevenways on Featherstall Road North is now a mosque.

In Newhey, the company has just demolished the Waggon and Horses, a large pub on a very small plot, and applied for permission to build houses.

“No-one objected,” he said. “A pub has to be at the heart of the community, with community use. It’s got to be busy — no-one closes a busy pub. Use it or lose it.

“We don’t like discos, we don’t like karaoke, or entrance fees, but we have invested money in pubs selling food and we think its important to have darts and football teams and be a part of the community.

“There is a big issue with the big pub companies, buying up pubs, then suddenly the valuations go down, they are boarded up, they still have to pay rates, and eventually they may demolish.

“And from a council perspective, perhaps Oldham needs to lose some pubs. It has quite a lot per head of population in Oldham with comparable towns, and statistically can only sustain so many pubs.”