Star comment: Pubs are the heartbeat of our communities

The boom in supermarket alcohol sales coupled with the increase in competing leisure pursuits and the digitisation of our social lives has left pubs off the pace.

We no longer need to go to the local to meet friends, we can do that on Zoom. We no longer need to visit the bar to get a pint, we can get one from Asda.

Pubs, however, have got different plans. While Covid was a potential disaster for landlords who had to pour beer down the drains after last-minute lockdowns, it appears some are rebounding quickly. Though these have been tumultuous times, they are learning to fight back. In part, that’s because we’re now spending more time at home or in our own communities that we once did.

Covid has reduced our desire to go further afield and more people are enjoying what’s right here on their doorstep.

It is important that we support local pubs – as well as shops, post offices and community centres – for they are the beating heart of the towns, villages, estates and hamlets in which we live. The fortitude and resilience of pubs and restaurants that have both survived the Covid pandemic and taken advantage of changing trends has been inspiring. Many have switched to providing takeaway dinners while providing more outdoor seating to fit in with Covid regulations.

As the weather warms and spring and summer arrive, they’ll have new capacity for al fresco eating and drinking, which will get tills jingling. A sector that has faced more challenges than most, pubs remain the heartbeat of many communities and deserve our support.

The British economy suffered its worst contraction in 300 years during the pandemic. Thankfully, it is starting to rebound. With the improved economic forecast comes a further rise in house prices.

This is good news for home-owners and should be viewed in the wider context of an economy bouncing back after lockdown.

However, with interest rates rising and cost of living going up it is likely that the housing market will dampen down.

While home-owners will follow the changes, those looking to buy a home will be anxious. Getting a foothold on the property ladder has never been more difficult and for some, saving for a deposit is a near-impossible task.

The housing market merry-go-round affects most people, for differing reasons, and better public policy ought to help provide more affordable housing.