Bootle in Merseyside is just one of the areas impacted by an alarming number of pubs closures.
The once imposing Merton Inn is among those which lie derelict and boarded up. Its outdoor area is a makeshift pay and display car park, while litter is strewn across the forecourt, which is adorned with broken pub benches.
The enormous Mons Stonehouse Carvery is another which has been force to shut and is soon to make way for a McDonalds. The nearby William Shakespeare pub sits idle, with its windows either smashed or boarded up, while The Bedford Hotel has long since been converted into flats.
The Aurora bar saw its final night on New Year’s Eve and is now closed with a sign saying it is now To Let.
The Mirror is demanding a government war chest to fight thousands of our struggling boozers across the country and stop vital hubs of the community from closing forever. We are demanding the setting-up of a fighting fund that struggling boozers can tap into. And we want proper recognition for pubs that are the heart of our communities, giving everything from a warm place for people and groups to meet, to tackling loneliness and raising money.
Plus, there should be more support for community groups wanting to buy their at-risk local. Our plea for action comes at a critical time, with pubs in the eye of the storm after years of rocketing costs – and more set to hit. A fighting fund could offer vital grants to struggling publicans, and well as providing a boost to those wanting to invest in their local.
A recent report found more than 400 pubs closed for good last year, either converted into other uses or demolished. That does not even include the countless hundreds more that close and are left empty in an often fruitless attempt to find a new tenant. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) previously warned of 1,200 closures last year. And another report, this time industry experts CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners, found 3,000 pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs risk closing in 2025.
Billy Montgomery, Landlord of the Swift’s pub, said it was a vital community resource but that their ambition this year is to simply remain open.
“It had been closed for 16 years but we have brought it back to life,” explains Billy, 58. We are going do pensioner days where we do a meal for free and so they just pay for drinks.
“We do trips out to things like Bury Market and to Blackpool. At Christmas we do things like kids presents and we are planning on doing a kind of food bank.
“We want to put a food hub in the back so it is not a food bank but a food hub so people will pay a small amount and some things will be given out for free. During the day we do £2 a pint to help out. Everyone knows each other here. It is not all about profit – as long as we are at least covering costs.
“Everyone looks out for each other. Upstairs we are looking to do an emergency room where people can stay for free for one or two nights in case they have an emergency like a fire or a victim of domestic abuse.
“Having a community is the only way that pubs like this can work. A lot of pubs are closing daily because of the price of everything. The £2 a pint is a loss leader to get people in.” He went on: “It’s like a family here. We do karaoke on a Friday which is popular and everyone loves it.
“We have a mixed crowd from pensioners to teenagers. Pensioners come in here to keep warm and to talk to someone. People can’t afford to heat their own homes. One guy comes in every day to keep warm. We are just trying to survive. We are independent so it is hard to compete against the big breweries and Wetherspoons so maybe the Government could do something to give the independent ones a break because we are just surviving. You just have to plod on but everyone is struggling.”
Regular Stephen Love, 59, said: “We are all family in here. Everyone is welcome and everyone looks out for each other. It is a local community pub. It is great for old fellas. It is really lovely.
“This pub is a local pub for locals and pubs just need to be kept open because there are so many around here that have closed. There would be nothing here if it closed. Local pubs are dying a death.”
Tommy, 55, said: “The breweries should stop looking after their shareholders and start looking after the people who are actually buying their beer otherwise we are going to lose more and more.” Tracey, 54, who is the manageress of The Wild Rose, said: “I used to run the Merton which is now closed.
“The problem is the price of everything. And since Covid people realise how cheap it is to buy from the supermarkets. So people are now drinking in the comfort of their own homes for a lot cheaper. The Merton never recovered from that.
“We don’t make much and a lot of people think it is a dying trade. A lot of elderly people come here but the youngsters prefer bistros and restaurants.
“Everything has gone up – rent, heating, the cost of the alcohol, national insurance, everything is going up. Independent pubs are struggling to survive. The big companies are ok but the Government needs to help us independents. Fingers crossed we will be ok.
“It is like a community here. Pensioners come here to socialise and we look after them. We all know the customers by name and know what they drink. A lot of them are on their own so this is a place they come to meet other people. It is really important for them – I can tell you the name of every single person in here.”
Regular Frank Durney, 77, said: “You know everyone in here, you are never on your own and you know all the staff. It is an important part of the community because it’s where people come to socialise. You can keep warm and save on your electricity bills.”
Peter, 63, said: “So many pubs have close around here. It is an important community hub. If it closed, where would we go?” Another regular Terry Cooke, 65, said: “All the staff are lovely. I wouldn’t get out if this place closed. It is important for me to come here because it is where I socialise.
“I suffer from depression and anxiety so it is important to me for socialising and getting to meet people. They make you so welcome.” Assistant manager at the Cat & Fiddle, Luke Pilling, 26, said: “Pubs are important for the community and for people to socialise. It is part of British culture.
Lockdown had a massive effect – people got used to drinking at home and it is expensive to drink out. We are putting on a promotion during January to try to encourage people to come in.”
If you are a publican and want to tell us how you are getting along then email graham.hiscott@mirror.co.uk
