The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has today launched their Our Pub campaign, building on the success of their #MyPub campaign last year.
The BII’s 13,000 members, in the main, licensed trade professionals, running independent pub businesses have survived the pandemic, proving their enormous value to communities across the UK, at a time when they were unsure if they would ever open their doors again.
They fed the homeless, fundraised for local, national and international charities, cared for the vulnerable and lonely, and were the first place that the public wanted to visit when lockdown restrictions were lifted.
Since then, they have faced incredible challenges with the cost of energy trebling in 2021, food and drink inflation soaring, all whilst paying unjust amounts of tax.
They have absorbed so much of these additional costs, trying to protect their customers from the necessary price rises that they should have passed along, all the while giving flexible, accessible and local employment opportunities to so many.
The value they deliver in social mobility through accessible skilled jobs and providing human connection to those who would otherwise see and speak to nobody, has been constantly referenced and applauded by Government, but in April, they are facing a mountain of tax increases in the form of a 10% rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs), a change in the relief given in NICs for part-time staff, the 50% rise of National Minimum Wage over the last 5 years, and a doubling of their business rates for those who pay them.
Everyone loves the Great British Pub, and we have seen that with recent sporting tournaments, and busy pub gardens in the summer months. But a busy pub, full of customers, no longer means a profit for pub operators, or a sustainable business says the BII.
Recent survey data from the BII reveals that come April, if pubs make no changes, over 80% will be unprofitable. This is simply not sustainable for these small businesses and that puts Our Pubs at risk of failure. That puts their vital teams’ jobs at risk. That puts communities and mental wellbeing of thousands and thousands at risk. That puts YOUR PUB at risk.
Steve Alton, BII CEO commented:
“Our Pubs, are the fabric of our society. They are not just places where people can have a pint. They are vital to communities, towns and high streets and are a unique attraction to locals, visitors and tourists alike.
“We can, and do provide economic growth like no other sector, when we are supported with fair taxation, but the rises planned for April are a hammer blow to pubs across the UK. In order to survive, operators are having to cut costs wherever they can, and after 5 years of rising prices, the only option for many will be to cut jobs, open fewer hours, or leave their businesses altogether.
“The Government’s short-sighted approach to taxing small businesses to fill the black hole in the budget will mean rising inflation, unemployment, lost investment in communities, and a heavier burden on the welfare and healthcare systems, which are already overstretched.
“As importantly though, our communities stand to lose so much – a place to connect, a place to celebrate, a place to commiserate and a place to share vital human contact. Local supply chains will be put under immense pressure, with thousands of businesses who rely on pubs for their own incomes.
“We want every pub in the UK to share the message with their teams, customers and suppliers that Our Pub is too important to lose. We want a flood of emails to local MPs, forcing them to take the plight of every single local pub to Westminster, to show the huge importance the British people place on their pubs at the heart of their communities.”
To get involved with the campaign, please share the BII’s social posts via X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and go to the Our Pub campaign page to email your local MP. Please use #OurPub wherever you post and tag the BII accounts.
Your support can save Our Pub.