29 pubs close per day

[Rodney Mills]

Today March 7, 2015 on BBC

1. So why DO YOU think they are closing down?

2. What has caused the end of this world re-known British tradition?

3. Can this trend be reversed?

4. What options exist in the U.K. for good, reasonable priced pub meals?

5. What options are offered for domestic and foreign visitors in a strange town to enjoy a brew, chat, and a game of darts?




Why are British pubs closing down?


6 March 2015 Last updated at 08:21 GMT

Pubs were once the social center of many communities, but that all seems to be changing.

The British Pub Association says up to 29 pubs close every week in the UK.

Closures are being blamed on factors such as high taxes on beer, competition from supermarkets selling cheap alcohol and changing demographics.

The BBC's Kassim Kayira visits the East End of London to find out why many of its pubs are closing down.


Cheers, (somehow that seems to be an ironic complimentary closing) Rodney

[Chris Allman]

1. So why DO YOU think they are closing down?

No profits - lack of custom - Corporate greed


2. What has caused the end of this world re-known British tradition?

Cheap alcohol from Supermarkets. Drink-driving laws. Violence & illegal activities ( Drugs related ) Local habits changed. Increase in use of personal home technology ( computers ) Smaller white cultural population. Lack of peoples disposable income


3. Can this trend be reversed?

Not under the present laws and public conditions, eg religious beliefs and customs etc


4. What options exist in the U.K. for good, reasonable priced pub meals?

Less corporate greed - better quality food - better quality preparation and cooking and better service.


5. What options are offered for domestic and foreign visitors in a strange town to enjoy a brew, chat, and a game of darts?

Depends on ethnicity of visiting groups as to what would attract them to visit a pub - appearance and cleanliness - attractive menus - attractive prices - welcoming and efficient staff - ( that last item will depend a lot on how much the staff are paid and how happy they are in their place of work )

Just my thoughts

[Jim Brady]

The pub was always called "The Local" and it was a place were the local people drank, three generations of most local families could be found in there.When people got married they were inclined to live in the same area where they were born so families were very close knit and this is where they all met to socialise.Most people lived within 3 miles or less from their place of work and knew most people who lived in their neighbourhood so it was a matter of staying local and most weekend nights was a good sing song in the local,thats when songs could be sang not like todays music.All pubs had their own characters which was always good for much amusement.A guy in our local sang Al Jolson songs where he wore white gloves,if he came out without the white gloves he couldn't sing.We had pub darts teams and pub football teams so there was a lot going on in the local which was the local "Glue Pot".So what went wrong ? no it wasn't the price of a pint (I've just been out paying just £2.00 a pint of John Smiths)how cheap is that.Well the young ones grew up got married and could afford to buy a nice house quite a few miles from where they were brought up,not like the previous generation that got a renter "by their ma's".So the old people were left they have all since died off and a younger generation have moved into those houses where they don't even know who their next door neighbour is never mind go in the local pub.I go for my morning paper and I see the re-cycling bins full of beer cans and wine bottles so drinking in the home is the thing todo so that is the end of the pub as we knew it.
Regards.
jim.B.

[Keith Moody]

we have the same problem here in canada, I have just sold my hotel that included a bar and resturant,and although it was out in the country we were doing a booming trade UNTILL they bought in NO SMOKING and pushed the drinking and driving charges up to the point where a person were not only fined but could lose thier licence if caught. so bar sales went
down and off-sales went up, we did all sorts of things to bring in customers but nothing seemed to work. in our area most of the clientale were from the farming community who couldn`t afford a lose of licence as one of their fields maybe 5 miles away from the actual farm house and they would use public roads to access it.
in addition the younger kids who didn`t want to go into farming or didn`t like the village life due to no work, would move away to the bigger cities to find work.
so one by one as the people in the villages declined and villages start to die so the the local pubs were closing, we were lucky to sell our place.
keith moody
R635978

[Jim Brady]

Before the present closing down of pubs came about I've just been sitting here and counting the number of pubs that closed down along the dock road and the next road up from the dock road from the north end to the south end.I make it over 30 have gone this has come about mainly due to the demise of the Merchant Navy which in turn did away with the dockers and also all other spin offs to the shipping industry.Every pub did a roaring trade of an afternoon there with the workforce that worked within the vicinity.There wasn't much housing in the area so once the afternoon trade went there wasn't any night trade so closing down was the only option.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[cappy]

cappyjust come out the pub ......grandson just scored a try for england against scotland granny and granda doing well ......blood pressure at all time high dont know if im on this earth or fullers earth .....life is good sometimes for old seamen ......regards cappy

[Braid Anderson]

Rodney, I think you might have one of the answers right there in your initial post - Kassim Kayira!

[Doc Vernon]

Got absolutely nothing against Local Pubs in general,as they were good in the old days when us Guys used to frequent them for relaxation, a few good Yarns and a bit of good fun,and good Beer!
However I only wish that they would close all the bleedin Pubs in the so called Red Light Districts all over the World,here in Sydney's Kings B----- Cross where they cause nothing but strife keeping the Doors open at all hours which is causing no amount of trouble in that Area!
On the News nearly every day you hear of Fights,Stabbings,King Hits,Shootings and the likes around that Area at Night,and all of these always seem to happen in the wee Hours of the Mornings when most are so tanked up after drinking non stop.
So for me yes keep the nice friendly Locals Open but close all the trouble spots!
Cheers

[Neil Morton]

Hi Doc sounds a bit like Ma Gleasons and Mabels all rolled into one . LOL!

[happy daze john in oz]

Vernon, what arte you on about, Kings bloody Cross, wonderful place. LOL
But pub closing is nothing new, not long after I sold my two and came out to Oz in 1 I read an article saying up to 2000 were closing each year.
But we have the same problem here in Oz, pubs gone due to hanging conditions ad needs. The corner pub is a distant memory, now full of food and gambling machines, more money in them than be r.