Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years, the government has announced.
Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson said the three-year package would be worth £1,650 for the average pub in 2026/27. The £30 pound a week reduction would pay for two hours of work from bar staff. An amount equivalent to five pints of beer at average prices. Sceptics doubt this meagre measure will help an industry estimated to be losing £59 million this January alone as consumers cut back after Christmas. Meanwhile. Hotels are not receiving a similar package. Veryan Palmer, executive director of the Headland Hotel & Spa in Newquay and chair and founder of Cornwall Hospitality Collective CIC,
Revealed on the Politics South West TV program that The Headland Hotel faced an enormous £120 thousand pound increase. As a large employer, business rates are a burdensome disincentive to business. Veryan added it would make more financial sense to operate as a pub with rooms rather than a hotel.