What does the cancelled Budget mean for pubs?
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid confirmed the Budget would not be taking place on the planned date of 6 November last week (25 October).
Javid’s letter said: “Parliament has voted for a delay to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, so the Government is now calling for a general election.
“I can therefore confirm that I have decided not to bring forward the Budget on the 6 November.”
Earliest opportunity
UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls called for action on business rates for pubs from the Government.
She said: “We understand why there has been a delay to the Budget, however, pubs need action to reduce costs specifically on the area of business rates.
“We hope the Government can commit to the long-awaited reform of business rates – particularly a 10% reduction in the multiplier.
“High streets, especially pubs have been hammered by rising property costs and we need action to address it at the earliest opportunity.”
British culture
This followed the delivery of a petition from Long Live The Local, populated with more than 200,000 signatures, which aims to demonstrate how important the local pub is to communities and show the significant role pubs play in British culture, to 10 Downing Street.
Licensees including celebrity publican and Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown took the petition to the Prime Minister’s front door last week (24 October).
Pub operator Brown runs the Green Man in Eversholt, Bedfordshire. She attended Downing Street along with Gaynor Hindley from the Woodthorpe, Bury, Greater Manchester; Kate Ross from the Admiralty, central London; Gavin Stevenson from Gellions, Inverness; Are Kolltveit from the Chandos Arms, Colindale, north London; and Thomas Ledsham from the Snooty Fox in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria.
Long Live The Local programme director David Cunningham said the petition will be kept open for people to sign.
He added: “We will keep campaigning and encouraging pubs and pubgoers to ask the Government to support local pubs and the communities they serve in the next Budget – whenever it happens, we will be ready.”
