Shropshire pubs crisis: Sad decline of the Great British boozer
Shropshire has lost 60 pubs in just seven years as cheap, subsidised booze in supermarkets steals its customers – but landlords still have hope.
Another one bites the dust. When the closure of The Alexandra pub in Oakengates was announced earlier this year, many mourned its passing. It was, after all, a much-loved part of the community, which had been there for many years. The problem was that while many were sad to see it go, very few actually visited it.
"It has seen serious decline over the last 15 years to such an extent that now it is unviable as a public house," said owner Sally Themans, announcing plans to turn it into flats.
It is not alone. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, Shropshire has lost 60 pubs in the space of seven years, representing a decline of 15 per cent.
The figures show that in 2010 there were 390 pubs and bars spread across the county, but by 2017 that had fallen to 330.
The situation is little better in Powys, which lost 25 of its pubs over the same period, a fall of 13 per cent. The Shropshire Council district also lost 25 pubs.
However the problem appears to be worst in Telford and Wrekin, which lost a quarter of its pubs in just seven years.
John Ellis, who keeps the Crown Inn at Oakengates and the Elephant and Castle in Dawley, said the figures were shocking, but not entirely surprising. Barely pausing for breath, he reels off the names of half a dozen pubs which have closed in the past couple of years or so.
He says the biggest factor is the way the tax system effectively subsidises discounted beer in supermarkets, by allowing them to offset their losses by claiming them back against VAT and corporation tax.
"This country is obviously so awash with cash it can afford to subsidise the supermarkets in this way," he says. "It is madness that cheap supermarket beer is being subsidised by the Government.
"It has been going on for years, by all governments, but they have never done anything about it.
"When people say something needs to be done about drinking, the poor old pubs always get it in the neck, not recognising that 70 per cent of drinking is now done in the home. But in the pub you have supervised drinking, which you don't have with the supermarkets.
"Perhaps a lot of people who do use the pubs don't go as much as they used to because they are buying cheap drinks from the supermarkets."
Mrs Themans, who is a director of Church Street Taverns which owned the Alexandra, says the pub industry is tough for anybody at the moment, not helped by a series of government policies which have the increased costs to landlords.
"There been the rate hikes which have placed us under an extra costs burden," she said.
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"Then there's the national living wage, which is putting pressure on managers when it comes to employing staff, and there's Brexit.
"Brexit has affected us through the weakness of the pound, which means that imports cost more, making raw materials more expensive, the costs just keep going up.
"Brexit also means that the more plentiful supply of labour is disappearing."
Mrs Themans believes that one of the problems specific to Telford is that pubs now have to compete with a growing number of restaurant chains in the town, such as the ones that have opened at the flagship Southwater development.
She says the trend over the past 15 years or so has been towards pubs that offer food as well, which probably also worked against the Alexandra which was too small to provide food.
Research
"We also keep the Bull's Head in Wrockwardine Wood, and that is doing better because it is in a better location, but is also big enough to be able to offer entertainments and food," she says.
However, Mrs Themans says the latest research suggests the tide might finally be turning in this respect, and the traditional pub focused on beer could be making a comeback.
Paul Jones, of Telford and East Shropshire Campaign for Real Ale, is concerned about the alarming late of pub closures.
"When I first came to Shifnal 40 years ago, there were probably 30 drinking establishments.
"In recent times we have lost the George, which is now a Co-op, and we have lost The Beehive. We always try to fight pub closures, but with many of them it is an uphill battle," he says.
But Mr Jones says there are some reasons to be positive.
"The Anvil at Shifnal, which has been closed for some time, has just been bought by Black Country Ales, and should be reopening by Christmas," he says.
"We have also seen the opening of The Coracle micropub in Ironbridge, so pubs are opening. And the ones that do well tend to be the ones that offer real ale."
