Dudley Council to vote on community status for pubs to slow down closure rates
Dudley councillors will be asked to show support for local pubs by giving them official community asset status.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Councillor Steve Edwards from the newly formed Black Country Party plans to put a notice of motion to the full council giving pubs special recognition and financial support.
Councillor Edwards, who represents Brockmoor and Pensnett, hopes that making local pubs into recognised community assets will help slow down the number of closures by cutting costs.
He said: “Brockmoor and Pensnett was once home to over 20 pubs, we are now left with just four.
Within the authority, there is the ability to afford a discretionary rate relief if they have a community worth.
“We believe local pubs, I’m not talking about multi-national chains, have got local importance and should be recognised as such, I can’t see why anybody would be against it.”
According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), 289 pubs closed in England and Wales in 2024, at a cost of 4,500 jobs and the West Midlands was among the regions hit hardest.
The organisation says one pound in every three spent in pubs is swallowed up by tax.
BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “The scale of these closures is completely avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade. Consumer demand is there, however, profits are being wiped out with sky high bills.
“Government must urgently bring in meaningful business rates reform and phase in new employment costs so pubs can keep boosting the economy, supporting local jobs, and remaining at the heart of communities.”
Councillor Edwards acknowledged people can buy drinks more cheaply in supermarkets but said the council could help landlords to close the gap.
He said: “There is a big difference in prices but if we can work with pubs to lower their expenses, so they can reduce the price of a pint, people will be happy to pay a little bit more for what they get in a pub – chat, watch TV or entertainment.
“At the council we need to work out how we can give publicans a better deal on their rates so they can pass that saving on to customers and grow their business.”
