PARTY tsar Sacha Lord today warned that a worrying rise in British pub closures could spark a crime blitz.
The Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester also said less boozers could trigger widespread mental health issues among the public.
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Mr Lord, who founded the legendary Manchester Warehouse Project, urged Jeremy Hunt to slash taxes for pubs to stop more from shutting shop.
It comes as new polling by Censuswide found that 50 per cent of Brits have noticed a reduction in boozers in their local area.
Almost a fifth say they’ve seen a rise in antisocial behaviour because of the closures, while over half feel they’d be impacted if their favourite pub was gone.
Loneliness was cited as a key concern.
A quarter of adults also said they’d have nowhere to socialise if their local shut down.
The rate of pub closures is now at its highest in a decade – with two going bust every day.
Meanwhile, over 6,000 hospitality venues closed for good across the UK between December 2023 and the same month a year earlier, according to industry body UK Hospitality.
At the Spring Budget the Chancellor extended a freeze on beer duty until February next year.
But landlords want Mr Hunt to go further by cutting VAT.
Mr Lord said: “These findings reveal the true damage that pub closures are having on local communities and a growing backlash against those in power to do more to save our national institutions.
“The pub isn’t just somewhere to go and have a quick pint, it’s a place to meet friends, relax and chat, especially for the elderly.
“As more and more pubs close down, there are less places for people to socialise and as the stats show, not only is this contributing to a massive increase in loneliness and mental health worries, but the impact this could have on anti social behaviour and crime is clear to see.”
