37 pubs a month 'vanished' in England and Wales last year

Analysis of official Government data by the real estate adviser Altus Group shows that the overall number of pubs in England and Wales, liable for business rates, including those vacant and being offered to let, fell to 40,617 on 31 December 2020, down 446 compared with 41,063 on the same date the previous year.

This figure is down 6% on 2019 despite the pandemic.

Venues have either been demolished and/or converted into other types such as homes and offices.

The figures show that the number of pubs in England and Wales have fallen from 42,450 at 31 December 2017. However, in terms of numbers of pubs lost last year’s figures are the lowest of the past three years, with 914 pubs lost in 2018 and 473 in 2019.

“Pubs and restaurants bore the brunt of coronavirus restrictions in 2020 but proved remarkably resilient aided by Government interventions such as furlough, grants, rates relief and liquidity in the form of cheap loans,” says Robert Hayton, head of property Tax at Altus Group.

Last week the Government announced it was giving one-off top up grants to businesses to help closed retail, leisure and hospitality businesses deal with the economic impact of the third national lockdown.

Payments of £4,000 are available for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or less, £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000, and £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of more than £51,000.