Pubs and music venues across England will get a 15% discount on their business rates from April, with bills frozen for two years. Around three in four pubs will see their rates fall or stay level next year. I genuinely welcome this announcement. It will help. This comes on top of a £4.3bn fund that helps make the change away from extra business rates relief easier for hospitality and retail businesses. But I still worry for our local pubs who tell me they need so much more.
It is gutting that it’s so hard for venues to make things work, even with enough customers and stronger takings. Hospitality businesses I met recently tell me the same thing: the support on offer only keeps them going for now. It does not make things truly easier for them. Business rates are only one part of the pressure. Costs keep rising due to beer duty, employment costs, high energy bills, and supply chain inflation.
Even with the 15% discount, these costs continue to climb. Many pubs are already thinking about what comes next as temporary support schemes end, including the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure relief and the multiplier freeze. Both will stop in the next two years. That means business rates will rise again, and the pressure will increase.
Across the economy, workers and small businesses are being squeezed. Fixing it means being honest about what is broken. We need to stop monopolies and rent-seekers from driving up the prices of essentials. We want a system that gives pubs, venues, and other independent businesses the stability to invest and keep high streets alive. That’s one of the reasons I am working with local pubs to ensure there is a strong, unified voice for venues in our area.