Thank you to those constituents who have contacted me about support for pubs. The Island has an excellent pub culture and my membership of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for pubs has enabled me to promote and support their interests. I am grateful to those local publicans who have been working with me and raising issues they are facing on the Island.
Pubs up and down the country play a vital role not only in the economy but in our local areas, supporting a sense of community and pride.
Pubs will benefit from business rates support worth £13.6bn over the next five years, including a more generous Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme that has increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent relief for 2023-24. Beyond 2023-24, the Treasury keeps all taxes under review, and it would not be right for me to speculate on changes outside of a fiscal event.
The Government’s ‘Brexit Pubs Guarantee’ confirms that the duty on a draught pint will always be lower than its equivalent in a supermarket. The new alcohol duty system implemented in August included a new Draught Relief that provides a significant duty discount on alcohol sold in containers of 20 litres or more in the on-trade.
The Government is also funding a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. To date, the fund has allocated £36.9m to 150 projects.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
