The manager of a Suffolk pub is calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to extend business rate relief after it was revealed more than 50 pubs a month closed in the first half of the year.
Gareth Langdon, manager of the Turks Head at Hasketon, near Woodbridge, was speaking as Rachel Reeves made her first speech as Chancellor at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Just a month before her first Autumn Budget in which she is warning of "tough decisions", the Chancellor attempted to strike a more positive tone after weeks of gloom over the state of the economy left by the Tories.
Analysis of Government data, carried out by the Altus Group, revealed that the number of watering holes across the UK fell to 39,096 at the end of June.
Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, 472 pubs called last orders.
While The Turk's Head in Hasketon, near Woodbridge, closed suddenly in March, it is thriving once more after it reopened under new owners, Tom and Ruth Carroll, of Carroll County Pubs, in August.
However, Mr Langdon, who has worked in pubs across Suffolk, believes not extending business rates relief would be a "concern". The current rate of 75% is due to be removed in March 2025.
"It would definitely be a concern," said Mr Langdon. "If they can extend that certainly, it would be much better for the bottom line of the business.
"At the end of the day, it is a business - we have to be profitable to survive. By not extending that, it's really going to hurt the pub business overall throughout the country."
He also backed calls by the British Beer and Pub Association for the Government to cut beer duty at the next Budget.
Mr Langdon continued: "The bottom line is if we are not making enough money, I can't rota enough staff on. It only hurts our ability to serve customers properly."
While the east Suffolk pub also faces challenges with rising costs, Mr Langdon said its first month had been "fantastic", with "supportive" feedback from locals.
He is hoping the pub can fend off the challenges of winter with a "fantastic end to the year".
A spokesperson for the British Beer and Pub Association said: "Whilst we know that brewers and pubs pour billions into the economy, their massive contribution to society is priceless which is why any closure is devastating.
"Government must use this budget to cut beer duty, reform business rates and maintain 75% business rates relief so that pubs can remain a home from home."
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