Express & Star

Express & Star comment: Call time on tax to save pubs

It is desperately sad to see that so many pubs have closed down across the Black Country and Staffordshire in recent years.

Published
Sad to call closing time on so many Midlands pubs

Since 2010 a total of 135 have closed their doors for good, while in the UK nearly 6,000 have permanently called time at bar.

It really is a sign of the times.

In years gone by pubs were the focal point of communities, a place where people would meet and enjoy the type of wonderful hospitality that only this region can provide.

Across the West Midlands we are blessed to have been served by some of the oldest and finest public houses in the entire country.

But with pubs closing at an alarming rate, the signs for the industry as a whole look bleak.

It is an issue that should concern us all.

Everywhere you look pubs are being bulldozed and replaced with shops or housing.

Once they are gone, they are gone for good.

This can have a damaging impact on the local economy, and also strikes a further blow to our proud community spirit.

What many people find incredibly concerning, is the fact that nothing seems to be done to address the demise of our pubs.

Landlords will tell you there are many factors that have hurt the pub trade, including the smoking ban.

And the Government must take the lion’s share of the blame for so many pubs going to the wall.

There is no escaping the fact that the price of a pint in our pubs is far higher than people pay for the equivalent drink in shops and supermarkets.

For years pubs have been hamstrung by high beer duty, which has led to more people staying in and drinking at home.

Despite a long running campaign from politicians on all sides of the political divide to cut beer duty, the situation is showing no signs of improving any time soon.

Pubs create jobs, boost the local economy and help to forge a community spirit that can last for decades.

They are, without a doubt, worth saving.

If the issue of beer tax is not addressed soon, our local pubs will all be consigned to the history books.