Funding boost for the great British pub announced

Regulars across the country will be raising a toast to the Great British Pub as over £1m of new government money will be made available for community pubs, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced.

The funding will help an estimated 100 new groups to take ownership of and save their local or support their essential community services based in pubs in rural and remote areas.

Secretary of State for Communities Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “The Great British pub is one of the cornerstones of British life. From the Rose and Crown, to the King’s Arms, our pubs remain at the very heart of our cities, towns and villages.

“This new funding will boost the number of community-owned pubs and pub-based community services. It will offer sustainability and create valuable new jobs in the process, both in our great pubs and within our great communities.

“Pubs run by the community and for the community help bring people closer together. Importantly, they are a space for older, vulnerable and more isolated residents to access important local services and feel part of their communities.”

The £1.15m fund will support community pubs through two key programmes. £650,000 will be allocated to the second More Than a Pub programme.

More Than a Pub provides small grants and specialist advice for community groups at the start of their journey to community ownership. It also supports groups later in the process who require specialist professional advice with larger grants and loans to help with business planning, conveyancing, architectural help or financial advice.

£500,000 will be allocated to Pub is The Hub to enable a range of projects providing new, pub-based community services from post offices and shops to libraries and allotments. This will increase the services available in rural and remote communities and help sustain pubs as community assets and businesses.

John Longden, Chief Executive of Pub is The Hub said: “We welcome the government’s recognition of the wider social role that licensees, as small business owners, and their staff can play in supporting and providing additional services and activities to support their local communities.

“Pubs run by good licensees are part of our national identity and can strengthen the fabric of all communities, particularly in rural areas where they support issues such as loneliness or social isolation.”