Pubs given support package after business rates backlash

Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years, the government has announced. Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson said the three-year package would be worth £1,650 for the average pub in 2026-27.

It comes after a backlash against November’s Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills, and led to more than a thousand pubs banning Labour MPs from their premises. UK Hospitality has warned that hotels, restaurants and other businesses in the sector are also at risk, calling for the support package to be widened.

According to the government, the package will cost £80m in its first year, and the subsequent two years will be valued by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

Tomlinson said pubs are “the cornerstone of so many communities” and the government wanted to “go further” in supporting them after the number of venues fell by nearly 7,000 since 2010.

Questioned about why the Treasury has made a series of changes to major policies, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government “listens when people raise concerns”.

“We look at the detail of that and try to make sure we get it right,” she added.

The government also promised to review how pubs are valued by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), ahead of the next revaluation of premises in 2029.

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