The owner of an iconic Camden venue is among those to express concerns independent pubs will face an existential threat in April when the Autumn budget takes effect.
The 75% off business rates which retail, hospitality and leisure venues currently receive will drop to 40%, the main rate of National Insurance for employers will increase to 15%, and the threshold will reduce to £5,000 per annum.
Henry Conlon, who runs The Dublin Castle, said the biggest overhead is wages and losing staff will be unavoidable going forward.
Conlon said: “We’ve always been proud to pay our lowest paid workers a living wage, and for the punters to be able to look the bar staff in the eye knowing that they’re being paid a fair wage”.
The changes will come following the January-March period, which is typically the worst time of year for pubs.
According to Alison Boutoille of CityStack, an initiative which supports independent pubs, some close completely for the first two weeks of January.
With the prospect of the spring bounce predicted to be curtailed by higher costs for employers, there are concerns some independent pubs will close.
The Dublin Castle, which is also a music venue and has played host to the likes of Amy Winehouse and The Libertines, can employ up to 30 people at any given time.
Conlon stated some businesses are more of amenity than others, and that pubs and music venues provide places and opportunities for people to meet that only exist if there’s a viable business to support it.
Boutoille, whose initiative aims to help connect people with independent pubs, argued that independent pubs are not small businesses like any other, and play an important social role.
She said: “People are more and more lonely, and pubs are one of the few places people can still connect.”
Conlon and Boutoille echoed a frustration at the lack of top-down concern for small businesses which are integral to communities.
Trends for independent pubs have been negative over the past two decades.
Beer Today reported that since the pandemic, the number of independent pubs across the country has fallen by 16%, with a general reduction of 43.6% in the last 20 years.
Featured Image courtesy of Sam Jones
Image courtesy of Alison Boutoille
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