Campaign for Real Ale reports 800 pub closures this year
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reported that 800 pubs have closed this year, highlighting ongoing challenges for the hospitality sector.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reported that 794 pubs have closed in Britain so far this year, with 82 of those lost for good after being demolished or converted to other uses. The figures, shared with ITV News, have renewed calls for greater protection for some of the country's most historic pubs.
MPs are now set to consider new legislation, the Heritage Public Houses Bill, which would give so-called heritage pubs greater protection. The bill, inspired by the unlawful destruction of Staffordshire's Crooked House, aims to protect historic venues from unauthorised demolition, conversion or neglect. It will not offer automatic protection, but it will mean that the historical importance of pubs is at least taken into account.
One community trying to save its local is in Surfleet, Lincolnshire, where The Ship Inn has been closed for 18 months. The pub, which dates back to the 1600s, has community asset protection, which makes it easier for locals to keep it going as a pub. But the group behind the campaign says they need investors to help reopen it. Jane, one of the campaigners, said: "We're just a group of people that want the pub open again. A lot of people bought the houses around here because of the local pub. A lot of the people met in the local pub. And basically we don't have anywhere to meet our friends anymore."
The loss of pubs is being felt across the country. In south-west London, locals helped defeat plans to demolish the Trafalgar in Wimbledon. Former Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley is also trying to save his local, the Rose and Thistle in Buckinghamshire. He said: "I think it's criminal, actually. I've loved pubs ever since I was a kid. If you lose your village pub, it really is a big chunk taken out of the heart of the village."
CAMRA's figures highlight the ongoing challenges for the hospitality sector, but legislation alone cannot reverse the decline in pub-going. However, it can offer communities more power to save historic venues from developers. As one campaigner put it, the pub is "the heart of the community".
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| CAMRA figures reported 794 pub closures so far this year, with 82 permanent closures. | |
| MPs are considering legislation to give heritage pubs greater protection. | |
| The Ship Inn has community asset protection but remains closed and requires investors. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1's coverage focused on the human and community impact of pub closures, using the example of The Ship Inn in Lincolnshire to illustrate the struggle to save a historic local. The reporting also highlighted the proposed Heritage Public Houses Bill and included celebrity support from Tony Hadley, giving the story a broad emotional and cultural appeal.
- “the alarming rate which pubs are disappearing from our communities”
- “It is what we used to be. There'd been a pub in the heart of Sleaford since the 1600s but 18 months ago the Ship Inn closed”
- “I think it's criminal, actually. I've loved pubs ever since I was a kid.”
Broadcast Timeline
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