Landlord quits blaming supermarket booze and changing habits

Patrick told BBC Politics North that he blames a perfect storm of rising utility and wage prices, people’s changing habits and major roadworks directly outside the pub, which began in the summer.

“These days people are used to staying at home, watching TV, having cheap drink from the supermarket or off licence and getting food deliveries,” he said.

“To make a pub like this work you need to turn over £12,000 a week, some weeks we were doing quite well, around £8,000, but once the road works began outside that went down quite dramatically.”

Figures from the Office for National Statistics, external show that 27% of pubs and bars in Lincolnshire closed between 2009 and 2025. That is a drop from 710 to 515.

In South Holland, of which Spalding is a part, the rate is almost double that, at 53%, a drop from 75 to 35. That is also way above the England average of 19%.

“The government needs to look at the low cost of alcohol in supermarkets primarily,” said Patrick.

“Certainly the taxation in supermarkets needs to be looked at to bring about some kind of equilibrium.”

Duty paid on draught alcohol in pubs and bars is up to 11 pence cheaper than that sold in supermarkets.

But other costs associated with running a business still makes supermarket alcohol cheaper overall.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a 20% cut in business rates for qualifying pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England, effective from April 2027.

Emma McClarkin OBE, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, says they want that to be made permanent at the Budget this month, “alongside a freeze in beer duty and a widening of the draft discount”.

“We’re set to lose one pub a day by the end of the year and 295 have closed already,” she said.

“When a pub does close, it’s not just the front door that’s closing, it’s the heritage, the culture, the economic contribution to society and the social value.”