Devon pubs 'at risk' due to soaring energy prices and higher costs, warns Ed Tyldesley
Ed Tyldesley, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Central Devon, is calling on the government to do more to support rural pubs, which are struggling to stay open due to rising energy bills and higher costs for small businesses.
Pubs have long been at the centre of life on Dartmoor, but many are now struggling to stay open. In this guest column, Ed Tyldesley, who has been selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Central Devon, argues that rising energy bills and higher costs for small businesses are putting the future of rural pubs at risk, and calls on the government to do more to support them. The views expressed are his own.
Pubs are the beating heart of Dartmoor. They're where we unwind, meet friends, enjoy a good meal, pour out our hearts, organise community events and warm up after a soggy hike.
No one does pubs quite like Brits. And definitely no one does them like we do in Devon.
But they're under threat. This year, an average of two pubs have closed every day. That is devastating. Soaring energy prices are swallowing up what little profit many pubs make. And recently,
small businesses have faced significant increases in National Insurance contributions, the minimum wage and the requirement to pay sick pay from day one.
To be clear, better pay and sick pay are brilliant things for workers. We all deserve to earn enough to pay our bills, and to be able to afford time off when we're ill. But while huge corporations like Amazon and Tesco can absorb these costs from their enormous profits, small and independent businesses have been given far less support to manage them.
That’s why so many Devon pubs are up for sale. Publicans tell me they’re retiring early or simply exhausted from trying to make ends meet.
This Labour government doesn't always understand the realities of life in the countryside. But it needs to wake up to the pressures facing our pubs and small businesses.
In a rural area like ours, having places where people can come together, share food, drink and stories is absolutely vital. As your MP for Central Devon, I would fight to make sure the voices of our pubs and hospitality businesses are heard in Westminster. And I’d push for the support they need to survive and thrive.
We cannot build strong, cohesive and compassionate communities without places where people can come together. And we cannot afford to lose any more of our pubs.