Pub closures rise sharply amid warning over planned business rate change

Nearly 400 pubs closed their doors for good in England and Wales in first half of 2023, almost as many as the whole of 2022

The number of pubs in England and Wales that shut their doors for good rose sharply in the first half of 2023, prompting warnings to the government that planned rises in business rates could force further closures in the beleaguered sector.

Figures show that 383 pubs, or more than two a day, vanished" in the first six months of this year, almost matching the total for the whole of 2022, when 386 were lost.