The Yorkshire Post says: Last orders for more of our pubs unless leniency over business rates

EVEN THOUGH the warm weather has left pub gardens overflowing across Yorkshire, it may not be sufficient to prevent last orders being called – for good – at those hostelries which are struggling to make financial ends meet.

By YP Comment

Published 22nd Apr 2019, 01:36 BST

The future of Britain's pubs is in the spotlight after nearly 1,000 closures last year.

Warnings earlier this month about how exorbitant business rates were forcing some pubs out of business have been further re-enforced today by confirmation that nearly 1,000 premises shut down last year.

The Yorkshire Post says: Pubs are a community lifeline as business rates proves to be false economy

Not only is this devastating for those owners, and their staff, who had worked tirelessly against these financial odds, but each and every closure is another lost amenity which only serves to devalue communities.

Given this, it is surely in the Government’s best interests for the Treasury to show leniency towards those licensed premises that are genuinely supportive of community and social groups. As this newspaper has said previously, it would be a false economy not to serve these pubs.