Following a stealth announcement by the government that a vital scheme to save pubs has been axed, the Countryside Alliance has voiced concern over the future of rural pubs.
The Community Ownership Fund, which launched 2021 with the aim of handing out £150m worth of grants by the end of 2025, was cancelled early with £135m having been allocated to date.
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of waging “war on the countryside” after the government quietly scrapped the grant, that helped local groups buy closure-threatened pubs.
As the number of pubs in England and Wales sits at a record low, with more than 400 closing their doors for good in 2024 alone, there is growing concern in rural areas that the cancellation of the fund just days before Christmas will damage communities across the country.
While the government has promised to introduce a Community Right to Buy scheme, handing local communities the right to purchase empty shops, pubs and community spaces, they have been urged to go further and provide funding to support the scheme.
This news comes amid growing discontent in rural areas after the government extended inheritance tax to cover agricultural properties at last year’s budget, with thousands of farmers warning they will have to sell off family-owned farms to afford the tax.
And last week, Labour was accused of “treating farmers with contempt” after it scrapped the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), a scheme that pays farmers in England for environmental practices.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance said:
“In the countryside, pubs are more than just a place to have a pint and packet of crisps: they are community hubs that are on the frontline of preventing social isolation in some of the most remote parts of the country.
“It is widely understood that pubs are part of the rural fabric and must be protected. They are a vital lifeline to those rural communities wanting to band together to save these precious institutions”.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the government quietly announced the closure of the fund just before Christmas, particularly in the context of a breakdown in relations between the countryside and Whitehall following the family farm tax.”
“It is vital that the government communicate how they intend to roadmap a way forward on community funding, offering hope for the future of precious rural pubs. Every pub that shuts is a further gutting of our precious countryside.”
This story was first covered by the Independent.