With our OurPub campaign, we’re asking everyone who values their local pub — customers, team members, and suppliers — to take action and urge their local MP to back fairer tax and stronger support for pubs at the heart of every community.
We know the last few years have brought relentless pressure to your doors. From rising costs and staff shortages to the looming threat of increased taxes, pubs are being pushed to the brink. That’s why this campaign isn’t just about the sector speaking up — it’s about every person who cares about their local adding their voice and making sure Government understands just how vital your pub is.
The Autumn Budget 2025, promised to deliver meaningful support for our overtaxed and under supported pubs, with a reform of the outdated and unfair business rates system. Even as the Chancellor delivered the budget, she promised that it would deliver permanently lower bills for over 750,000 hospitality, leisure and retail venues, but the reality that has emerged, is that the vast majority of pubs are now facing significantly higher business rates bills from April 2026.
The reform was supposed to give us a fair and level playing field, balancing our need to be in physical venues in our communities against the huge businesses operating online and from less expensive, out of town locations. But instead, we have been given a slightly lower multiplier, giving us only a 5p in the pound discount on standard rates, and the 40% relief that is currently applied, will disappear.
In addition, the 2026 revaluation has pushed rateable values (the numbers which are used to calculate final bills) up by approximately 30% across our sector, leaving pub operators facing more costs next year, alongside the huge and continuing rises in minimum and living wage rates. You will now be paying your staff almost 60% more than you were pre-pandemic.
It is unfair, unsustainable, and will destroy so many essential pub businesses if the changes in the budget go through in April 2026.
We need EVERYONE who cares about their pub to share the message with their local MP that pubs at the heart of every community, need and deserve fair taxes and the support of Government, before it really is too late.
Whatever your pub means to you, we need to show that we are stronger together, showcasing the powerful impact each pub business has in the local area while also sharing the challenging trading realities that our pubs face.
Every pub needs support. Every voice makes a difference.
That’s why we’ve made it simple for anyone — whether you’re a customer, team member, or supplier — to contact your local MP with a ready-made message of support for your local.
Together, we can make sure Government hears us. Together, we can protect our pubs.
1) Download the letter template – this is a word document that you can copy and paste into your message to your MP (the template may appear in your download bar at the bottom of your screen, or in your downloads folder)
2) Find your local MP – this will load a webpage where you can type in your postcode to find your local MP. Selecting their name will load a form for you to paste your letter into.
3) Paste the letter template into the body, personalising your message if you wish, then fill out your contact information and hit preview and send
While we have been championing our sector for these changes, our pubs are continuing to struggle despite our best efforts. Until our voices are heard, this will continue. Take a look at the videos below and see just how much damage is still being caused by the choices being made by Government.
If you would like, you can also use one of our digital assets in your posts – simply choose from the images below that you would like to use.
When sending them a message, or tagging them in a post, please make sure you include the hashtag #OurPub and tag us as well. For Facebook and X we are @BIIandBIIAB, and on Instagram we are @Britishinstituteofinnkeeping.
