{"id":4064,"date":"2023-11-28T13:57:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T13:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=4064"},"modified":"2023-11-28T14:01:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T14:01:16","slug":"news-views-november-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2023\/11\/28\/news-views-november-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"News & views – November 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CHANGE OF MIND – ALMOST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government\u2019s Autumn Statement is due on Wednesday 22 November, which will be too late for it to be covered now. This will be done in the next edition. We should not underestimate the continuing difficulties currently facing our pubs, social clubs, brewers and cider makers. Those who won the battle to survive the pandemic are by no means yet in the clear. What the Chancellor of the Exchequer announces (or doesn\u2019t) will be crucial. There was however no indication in the recent King\u2019s Speech that any help will be offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As usual, CAMRA asked its members to lobby their MPs for support to be given to the hospitality industry. The main issues are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business rates: <\/strong>the current relief on business rates is 75% up to a maximum of \u00a3110,000. This will end on 31 March 2024. Not only will business rates then return to full rate, they will also be subject to an inflation linked increase of 6.7%, based on the CPI rate in September. The trade body UKHospitality estimate that this will increase the overall bill for the industry by \u00a3864 million. The Federation of Small Businesses, along with companies such as Fuller\u2019s, Greene King, Mitchells & Butlers and many others, have also lobbied the Government. Fuller\u2019s chief executive, Simon Emeny, told the Daily Telegraph, \u201cThe number of pub closures and restaurant closures that have happened so far this year will be multiplied tenfold if the government doesn\u2019t extend the business rates relief for small businesses. More pubs closed in the first half of this year than during the whole of 2022 as publicans struggle with the soaring cost of food, energy and wages. The tax burden on pubs is simply enormous. We, as a sector, account for 0.5% of UK revenue but we pay 2.5% of UK business rates so we\u2019re disproportionately paying our way.\u201d Progress also needs to be made with the long promised overhaul of the business rates system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol duty<\/strong>: the next change to alcohol duty will be in February 2024 when it is scheduled to increase by the then prevailing rate of inflation (RPI this time). The changes made in August contained some marginal benefits for cask beer but, overall, on all the products that pubs sell, alcohol duty increased. If a reduction is not possible, then rates should at least be frozen. Alcohol taxes currently contribute \u00a312.7 billion to the Exchequer and the pub trade supports 936,000 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAMRA would also like to see an end to the anomaly over repackaging that prevents draught beer purchased at the reduced rate of duty for sale in pubs (and beer festivals!) being sold for take-away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VAT:<\/strong> a poll conducted by the Morning Advertiser indicated that there is also a large demand for a reduction in VAT to 12.5% for the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy costs:<\/strong> hospitality businesses still also need help with issues regarding energy supply and costs. CAMRA\u2019s national chairman, Nik Antona, told the Morning Advertiser that pubs were, \u201cteetering over an ever-eroding cliff edge. Licensees, brewers, and cider makers all face an uncertain economic future as they don\u2019t know what their business rates or energy bills will look like in the next year. The Chancellor must use the Autumn Statement to help pubs, social clubs, brewers and cider makers, otherwise more communities across the UK risk losing their locals forever.” It is a \u2018Catch 22\u2019 situation. If pubs increase prices to meet these increased costs, then there will most likely be a reciprocal increase in the number of people who cannot afford to pay them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINISTER FOR PUBS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British Beer and Hospitality Association (BPPA), the pub companies\u2019 trade body, has called for the reinstatement of a specific minister for pubs. This comes from a report which they commissioned that proposes that there be someone who can help the sector with such issues as tax and regulation. There has been no minister for pubs since 2017. Currently the minister for enterprise, markets and small business at the Department for Business and Trade covers the hospitality industry but primarily restaurants and cafes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also recommends the creation of an emergency fund to provide assistance with energy bills and that pubs which provide social amenities such as food banks and warm spaces should receive business rates rebates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PUBS CODE UPDATE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pubs Code for England and Wales is intended to regulate the relationship between the pub owning businesses (POBs) and their tied tenants. It is subject to regular review and one took place recently. The Department for Business and Trade have however announced that there will be no changes. CAMRA regrets that this opportunity to better balance the relationship between pub companies and their tenants and to improve consumer choice in the tied pub estate has been ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAMRA believes that tied tenants should be given more choice over which beers they stock, including the right to a guest draught beer or cider from local and independent producers, instead of having to buy from a restricted range at set prices from their POB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHANGE OF MIND – ALMOST The Government\u2019s Autumn Statement is due on Wednesday 22 November, which will be too late for it to be covered now. This will be done… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4066,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4064\/revisions\/4066"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}