NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

With the budget coming up in March, CAMRA is calling on the Chancellor to include within it a support package that will help prevent many of our pubs and breweries from going out of business. We’re asking him to announce: - a 20% cut in duty on draught beer and cider so that pubs and clubs can compete with supermarkets on price; - an assurance that hospitality businesses will continue receiving the current level of help towards their energy bills until April 2024; a permanent lower business rates multiplier for hospitality businesses, recognising their value and importance to communities. You can send your MP a letter urging them to back this campaign by going to camra.e-activist.com/page/121106/action/1

The need for these changes is highlighted by the results from CAMRA’s most recent pub ‘census’, covering the last six months of 2022. As well as 70 permanent closures, CAMRA Branches reported that 554 pubs had closed long-term i.e. the pub business has failed and/or the building is standing empty – an average of 21 per week. Whilst it’s to be hoped that a fair proportion of these will eventually reopen, some will undoubtably join the permanent losses, especially if no external help is forthcoming. The Government must act now.

One piece of good news – the Government has agreed that alcohol duties will be frozen until at least August 2023, when a new tax system is due to be implemented.

CAMRA has always highlighted the importance to pubs and clubs of affordable and effective public transport so we’ve welcomed the recent £2 cap on single fares in England. We’re now pressing the government to make the scheme permanent. As our Chairman, Nik Antona, said ‘ A thriving public transport network goes hand in hand with a thriving hospitality sector. It is important that people can get to pubs and clubs using accessible and sustainable methods of transport. Therefore we would like to see the introduction of permanent funding for a fare capping scheme in the Spring Budget.’

The Tamworth Tap in Tamworth has been named as CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year. It went from an empty building to an iconic brewpub in less than five years and today boasts eight handpulls, one at least dispensing beer brewed on site. To have beaten our own Heaven & Ale it really must be good.

National Club of the Year is the Marden Village Club in Kent. Completely renovated in 2017, it has a light, airy and friendly atmosphere, offers six real ales mostly from local small breweries and acts as a real community hub.