Special report: Heart of the high street under threat with 500 pubs closed in Yorkshire since 2019
A heritage treasure in Britain's beloved pub sector is under threat of "extinction" in some parts of the country as new figures show the sheer scale of loss across Yorkshire.
Nearly 500 pubs have closed in the region, exclusive analysis reveals, at a rate of one pub disappearing every three days over the past five years.
Today, publicans across Yorkshire speak out over the struggles they face, with rocketing energy bills and rising business costs while consumers' cost-of-living takes its toll.
Here is a crisis that is "shocking but not expected", the chairman of Camra has warned, as another landlord tells The Yorkshire Post he is now to walk away from the sector for good.
And as new figures from the campaigning body draw a stark portrait of which parts of Yorkshire have paid the biggest price, sector leaders call for more support.
Ash Corbett-Collins, Camra chairman, said there is a real danger that some towns or villages could see their final pubs close for good in coming decades.
"We need the Government to support publicans in any way they can," he said. "Many are barely keeping their heads above water.
"The real danger is these numbers keep increasing and we see the extinction of pubs in some areas of the country.
"Once a village or small town loses its pub, it's a lot harder to get it back. It isn't a fair and level playing field. What we are asking for is a fair chance at survival."
Camra's figures, compiled for The Yorkshire Post, show 495 pubs have closed in the region since 2019. The rate of closure has doubled since Covid.
This is a sector that is balancing on a knife edge under a triple whammy of recent blows, Mr Corbett-Collins said, warning today's figures only show the "sad reality".
And with nearly a third lost to conversion or demolition, there are warnings over a "flawed" system which amounts to "deliberate asset stripping" of the UK's pubs for development.
Pubs author Pete Brown, writing in today's Yorkshire Post, warns that while society no longer uses pubs in the same way it once did, it still needs the companionship they bring.
And the Campaign for Pubs has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of the upcoming Budget, expressing serious concerns about any potential wage or National Insurance hikes that could decimate struggling businesses. Greg Mulholland, campaign director, called for targeted support for the sector instead.
What is needed is direct tax relief through business rates and VAT, he stressed, rather than a beer duty cut which would not filter down to the price of a pint for customers. He also called on the Chancellor to act on "sky high" energy bills for small businesses as he warned that to increase the tax or cost burden on pubs would be "disastrous".
Mr Mulholland said: "This is the first opportunity for Rachel Reeves to show if she supports the Great British pub and we hope she will listen and act."
The Treasury was unable to comment on speculation around spending decisions, but a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stressed its commitment to pubs with more details expected soon on its coming Right to Buy.
“Community spaces like pubs play a vital role in our towns and cities, and they are so often the beating heart of an area," they said.
“That’s why the English Devolution Bill will give people real power to take ownership of these assets, so we can revitalise our high streets and allow our communities to thrive.”