I hope the Christmas period has been successful for you and your teams. It was incredibly positive to see so many pubs full over the last few weeks, once again being the heart of their communities and bringing people together. A huge thank you to you all for looking after your customers so well, and in particular those who opened their doors on Christmas Day to ensure people were not on their own.
Whilst many of you have shared that trading has been strong over the last few weeks, the exceptional cost pressures that you continue to face have severely impacted your ability to generate a profit.
We have consistently shared the realities of trading for pubs with Government and the need for investment in these vital, local businesses. At the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor specifically referenced pubs once more and extended business rates support for pubs in England for a further year from April 2024.
Whilst for many pubs this was greatly welcomed, we were incredibly disappointed that the devolved nations did not choose to offer the same level of support. The Government has now announced the full Spring Budget will be held on the 6th of March, where we need to ensure the Chancellor recognises the critical opportunity to invest in pubs, supporting their future growth.
We have consistently made the case to Government for the opportunity to unlock this growth through lowering unfair taxes, with a priority on reducing VAT. Our ongoing #MyPub campaign has this priority at its heart and we encourage you all to invite your local MP into your pub to gain their support ahead of the budget.
It is essential that we continue to share the current realities for your businesses with Ministers, MPs and officials to gain their backing for the investment that is needed.
We have designed a very short survey to ensure we have the strongest voice of our members behind our asks. Please spend a few minutes of your time to share your trading realities, wider priorities for Government support and what your BII can focus on which will make the biggest difference for you, your team and your pub.
Take our 5 minute survey here
With undoubtedly a challenging year ahead may I take this opportunity to wish you and your teams a very happy and successful 2024.
Steve Alton
BII CEO