Overview
- UK Hospitality projects 2,076 venues could shut in 2026 without wider support, including 574 hotels, 540 pubs and 293 restaurants, equal to roughly six closures a day.
- The planned increases follow property revaluations and the withdrawal of Covid-era discounts, with hotels facing an average £28,900 rise this year and cumulative three‑year increases of £205,200.
- Pubs face a smaller average rise of about £1,400 this year, yet the average bill is forecast to be 76% higher by 2029, and more than 5,000 pubs are expected to see their rates at least double.
- The Government has a £4.3bn support fund focused on pubs, the Prime Minister has not committed to reversing planned increases, and the Chancellor says any changes must be implemented carefully.
- VOA data show roughly 520 pubs have closed permanently in the past 18 months, an outcome likely to have cost about 7,800 jobs based on industry staffing estimates.