Crooked House among 194 pubs lost in 2023

The Crooked House at Himley, which was demolished following a fire, is among those, although there are growing hopes it may be rebuilt in the future.

Nationally 1,293 pubs closed their doors to their communities according to figures collected by CAMRA’s grassroots campaigners across the country.

The British Institute of Innkeeping reports that three in four pubs were not profitable in 2023. Meanwhile, those that did not make it through the year represent as much as £100 million lost to local economies, almost 20,000 jobs, and 64 million fewer pints sold.

The campaign has called for the Government to introduce a package of measures in response.

CAMRA’s Walsall-based pub and club campaigns director, Gary Timmins, said: “Communities up and down the country are not simply facing the loss of pubs, but also the jobs, investment, opportunities, and social spaces those pubs create. It’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgic idea of the pub as a British institution, but the positive impacts they have on people’s lives is very concrete.

“Government inaction is putting tens of thousands of businesses on the line, and it’s vital that the upcoming Spring Budget provides a 20 per cent draught duty relief, the removal of unnecessary red tape that currently prevents the sale of takeaway pints, and a VAT cut for hospitality.

“Pubs, social clubs, brewers, cider makers and consumers urgently need cohesive leadership from the Government, not just piecemeal policy changes, and I hope these shocking figures are a catalyst for that shift.”

The West Midlands saw eight pubs permanently closed last year, 21 were converted to other uses.

There were four new build pubs across the region.