Brewers and pubs launch ‘Long Live the Local’ campaign

Members of campaign group Britain’s Beer Alliance (BBA) have launched a campaign encouraging people to support their local pubs amid increasing beer tax.

The ‘Long Live the Local’ campaign has called on the government to cut Beer Duty as pubs facing “increasing pressures” including business rates and VAT. Over the next three years, the campaign will be supported by a £9m investment and aim to highlight the importance and role of the pub in Britain’s communities through posters and advertising.

Data from the CGA and the British Beer and Pub Association suggested that currently, Britain’s pubs are closing at a rate of three per day.

David Cunningham, one of the campaign group’s directors, said: “The punitive beer tax, in conjunction with the other tax pressures from VAT and increasing business rates, are without doubt the biggest challenges facing the pub and beer industry right now. Between 2008 and 2013, the industry experienced the devastating impact of a five year escalator policy on beer duty.

“In five years, we saw beer sales decline by 24% in pubs, 5,000 pubs closed and 58,000 pub and brewing-related jobs were lost.”