It is something that is happening across England, and something that this newsletter has reported on numerous times over the last decade or so.
Pubs in England, especially those in small villages, have been closing at an alarming rate for the last decade. The pandemic saw another 2,500 of them shut down. Many sit empty and decaying, whilst several hundred each year are demolished to make way for housing development. As well as being an integral part of Old England, often the pub is at the heart of any village. Over a century ago, French writer and Anglophile, Hilaire Belloc, warned the English about using their village pubs, before we lose them altogether, when he said, “… when you have lost your Inns drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England.”
Camber, of course, is unique in many ways. Our pubs thrive – or so we thought – despite being in a small village. Notwithstanding the disruption they cause, our visitors contribute to our local economy. Holidaymakers and day-trippers alike bring in the revenue to support our pubs, eateries and shops, enabling us to enjoy them all-year round.
However, in our May 2024 newsletter, we reported the sad closure of The Dunes Bar. The “holiday-maker” is a rarer breed since the closure of Pontins and the “day-tripper” has stayed away since Rother DC has introduced eye-watering parking charges in Camber. Indeed, in August, there was a notorious case of a day-tripper blatantly parking on a resident’s driveway because they simply didn’t want to pay the parking charges in Camber! (The Facebook post attracted hundreds of reactions and comments!)
The trend continues: In the first quarter of 2024, England and Wales saw 239 pubs close, which is about 80 pubs per month. This is a 51% increase from the first quarter of 2023.
The closures, nationally, are being blamed on an above-inflation increase of business rates and wages, adding to the burden on hospitality businesses. Even Wetherspoon’s announced that they will close 61 more branches by the end of 2024. What chance, then, do our small business local pubs stand? We find ourselves repeating the same line, which we apply to everything from community groups to voting rights: Use it or lose it!
