Bath and Bristol pubs face 'dire situation' as numbers fall to record low

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The owner of a group of pubs with venues in Bath and Bristol is calling on the government to do more as the industry faces a "dire situation".

The number of pubs in England and Wales has now reached a record low.

The City Pub Group, which runs nearly 50 pubs across the UK, wants to see a review of the sector's businesses rates and a plan to reduce staff shortages.

Chairman Clive Owen said: "The situation facing our pubs is dire. It's thought around half of independent pub operators have had to reduce trading hours because of a lack of staff, with 15% saying their business is no longer viable, according to the British Institute of Innkeeping. "

"It's also thought that three-quarters of independent pubs have vacancies they are struggling to fill."

In Bristol, King Street Brew House has had to reduce its menu and kitchen hours due to a lack of chefs. Manager Richard Stacey says business is going well but a combination of staffing issues, rising food inflation and energy bills is affecting profits.

He said: "Business rates, energy costs, the cost of food and drink for us to buy has just skyrocketed. It's just going up and up. It's only going to get worse without any intervention. The industry needs help."

Bristol's night-time economy advisor Carly Heath says Brexit and the pandemic has had a huge impact on staffing levels. But she insists venues must invest more to entice staff.

She said: "There's definitely more that businesses can do to attract people into the sector. These are things like making sure that employment terms are really good, that the health and wellbeing of the workforce are looked after, the living wage will help with the cost of living crisis and those living in city centres."

In a statement the government said: “While similar challenges are being faced by other countries around the world, we want to see employers make long term investments in the UK domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad.

“To support UK workers, we are offering free training and qualifications, including for those looking to work in hospitality, with 20,000 people enrolled by May this year. Meanwhile, our recent Way to Work campaign saw at least 500,000 benefits claimants move into work in less than six months.”