Lincolnshire pub landlord blames cheap supermarket drink and roadworks for quitting
One landlord tells BBC Politics North that home drinking and roadworks hit takings, as figures show 27% of Lincolnshire's pubs and bars have closed since 2009.
At a glance
- Pub landlord Patrick blames rising costs, home drinking and roadworks outside his pub for his decision to quit.
- ONS figures show 27% of Lincolnshire pubs and bars closed between 2009 and 2025, and 53% in South Holland.
- The British Beer and Pub Association says 295 pubs have closed already and warns of one a day by year end.
A pub landlord in Lincolnshire has blamed rising utility and wage costs, changing drinking habits and major roadworks outside his premises for his decision to quit, as official figures show steep falls in pub numbers across the county.
Patrick told BBC Politics North he was facing a "perfect storm" of pressures. He said customers increasingly stay at home to watch TV, drink cheap alcohol bought from supermarkets or off licences, and order food deliveries.
He said a pub like his needed to turn over £12,000 a week to make it work. Some weeks were doing "quite well", at around £8,000, but takings fell "quite dramatically" once the roadworks began outside in the summer.
County closures
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 27% of pubs and bars in Lincolnshire closed between 2009 and 2025, a fall from 710 to 515. In South Holland, of which Spalding is a part, the rate is almost double at 53%, down from 75 to 35 — well above the England average of 19%.
Patrick called on the government to look "primarily" at the low cost of alcohol in supermarkets, saying taxation there needed to be examined 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 make supermarket alcohol cheaper overall.
Rates relief and duty
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, said the association wants that to be made permanent at the Budget this month, alongside a freeze in beer duty and a widening of the draught 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."
Villagers bid to buy The Ship Inn
Just outside Spalding, The Ship Inn stands by the River Welland in the small hamlet of Surfleet Seas End. The pub closed last year, and locals led by Mark Newlands have formed The Shipmates group to try to raise £600,000 to buy and run it.
The group has secured listed status for the pub as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011, giving it the right to bid for the property if it goes up for sale.
Mr Newlands said people had "become fed up of the Covid way of living and they want to see their pub open". He added that indications from smaller and larger investors suggested the project was worth doing, and that the group had proved to its own satisfaction that it was a viable business.
An HM Treasury spokesperson said the Chancellor prioritised support for the hospitality industry in his first week in the job by cutting business rates by 20% for pubs, social clubs and live music venues, saving thousands of locals over £1,000 a year. Stonegate has been approached by the BBC for comment.
Source: BBC Business.
Questions and answers
- How many pubs have closed in Lincolnshire?
- Office for National Statistics figures show 27% of pubs and bars in Lincolnshire closed between 2009 and 2025, falling from 710 to 515. In South Holland the closure rate was 53%, against an England average of 19%.
- Why is the pub landlord Patrick quitting?
- Speaking to BBC Politics North, Patrick blames a combination of rising utility and wage costs, changing customer habits and major roadworks outside his pub that began in the summer and cut takings sharply.
- What support are pubs asking the government for?
- The British Beer and Pub Association wants a 20% business rates cut made permanent at the Budget this month, along with a freeze in beer duty and a wider draught discount for pubs.
