HAMPSHIRE PUB CLOSURES FAR WORSE THAN UK TREND - HUHNE (Eastleigh Liberal Democrats)

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HAMPSHIRE PUB CLOSURES FAR WORSE THAN UK TREND - HUHNE

March 4, 2009 11:15 AM

Chris Huhne MP Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne will attend a ministerial summit on pub closures at the House of Commons today following figures that show that the spate of pub closures in South West Hampshire is far worse than the national trend.

"The Government needs to wake up to the pressures on public houses before it is too late, and so many of these key centres for our communities have been forced to close. Pubs are often the hubs of the area" said Mr Huhne.

Figures released by the all-party parliamentary beer group show that 97 of the 771 pubs in the eight South West Hampshire constituencies have closed down since 2006, a decline of 12 per cent (see table below).

Mr Huhne said: "There has been a spate of pub closures in South West Hampshire over the last four years. We have been nearly twice as hard hit as the country as a whole".

The Eastleigh MP is backing a cross-party campaign to relieve the pressure on publicans and has signed a commons motion put forward by fellow Lib Dem MP Bob Russell that now has support from 160 MPs.

Chris Huhne said: "Traditional public houses are being unfairly priced out of the market while supermarkets offer cheap deals without the level of restrictions and responsibilities required of pub licensees. That's why the Chancellor should not raise beer tax in this budget."

Chris pointed out that last year's budget raised alcohol duty by 9 per cent, and called for an alcohol duty accelerator pushing up duty by 2 per cent a year for four years.

"The Chancellor has to take account of realities in the pub trade instead of assuming that pub customers will just pay through the nose. They are voting with their feet, and pubs are closing at a record rate".