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Pub owner Beth Robinson said the role boozers play in local communities has changed post-Covid (Picture: Dave Charnley Photography) Listen to article Listen to article Your browser does not support the audio element. It is last orders for independent pubs in the UK. In the first half of 2025, 209 pubs in England and Wales were demolished or repurposed – and more are likely to shut by the end of the year. Beth Robinson, 41, who runs The Beeswing Inn in East Cowton, Yorkshire, knows all too well about this heartbreak – as she warned that the role that they play has changed since the pandemic. She believes that boozers are now being more of a social ‘hub’ for punters. Beth told Metro: ‘Since Covid it’s been a bit of an uphill battle with fewer people coming in and the changing role we’ve played in communities during the pandemic has stuck. ‘It’s changed how people use pubs, what people need from pubs and how people look at us in terms of what we deliver. ‘I’ve always been very community based – but coming out of Covid what the community were looking for did change somewhat and how they saw us changed. ‘It’s a totally different industry to pre-Covid times. It feels like a very different business model to before.’ She said the added pressure of the cost-of-living crisis on the average Brit has caused a ‘huge downturn in business’ and that ‘it’s only getting harder’. New data from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) shows pub closures are leaving people lonelier and more disconnected from their communities – with more than half of Brits fearing the loss of their local. The Beeswing Inn in East Cowton, Yorkshire (Picture: Mark J.Smith) One in three are concerned about pub closures in their area, the survey of 2,000 adults found, with over half (55%) of Gen Z in particular saying pubs are vital for tackling loneliness and isolation. In the North of England 71% agree pubs are vital for tackling loneliness and isolation – followed by 62% in London, with two in five saying they or someone they know has experienced increased loneliness as a direct result of losing their local. And while 55% are concerned about pub closures in their area, 70% consider the boozer important to their community’s social life. But Beth said: ‘Everyone’s starting to feel more of a pinch which is impacting footfall. ‘We’re a very remote community, rural business. We’re what is known as a “destination pub” meaning people need to travel out to visit. ‘We have got our imminent community in the village but it’s quite a small village and is not enough to maintain the size of the pub we have. ‘We’re relying on people travelling out to us but obviously that all adds up.’ She added: ‘We do get good local support but the locals that used to come in every night now probably come in once every three nights. ‘You get those who are not coming in for a drink, they’re coming in for the company – but you notice they spend much less per visit than what they would have done previously.’ Beth said that nowadays punters tend to visit her pub for an ‘experience’ rather than people ‘going to the pub for the sake of going to the pub’. She added: ‘They’re either looking for food, for companionship or to do something.’ The landlady has introduced new events in a bid to boost footfall, such as pensioners’ lunch clubs in addition to gardening and toddler and parent groups. How often do you visit the pub? A few times a week Check Once a weekCheck Once a monthCheck Less than one a monthCheck Join the family and sign up to The Diaspora Dish newsletter to get exclusive interviews and unforgettable recipes. DOB Content is 18+ Close Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy ‘What’s great about our industry is we have faced so many challenges from 2020 onwards but we do work really hard to try to change, diversify, offer to different things to keep our businesses going,’ Beth said. The BBPA’s Long Live the Local campaign said the survey’s findings ‘underlined the urgent need for Government to use the Budget to deliver fairer taxes and action on rising costs to save these beloved institutions’. With pubs struggling under a heavy tax and regulatory burden, more than 2,000 boozers have closed since 2020. And one pub is predicted to close every day in 2025. Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, told Metro: ‘From hosting baby groups and quiz nights to offering a warm welcome for those feeling isolated, pubs serve every generation in the community. ‘We can see the impact of closures in this survey, but we hear it every day from our members and from supporters of the Long Live the Local campaign. Beth said the Long Live the Local campaign ‘spells out what we need as an industry’ (Picture: Mark J.Smith) ‘But right now, they’re under more pressure than ever which is why we need the Government to use the Budget to ease the cost burden, or risk seeing even more of these irreplaceable spaces disappear from our high streets.’ She added: ‘The local pub is a lifeline, not a luxury, and the loss of a pub can have a real and devastating impact. ‘It’s made all the more concerning given our prediction that one pub will close every day this year, with heavy tax and regulatory costs often at the heart of why they’ve been forced to shut.’ Ahead of this month’s Budget, Beth said the Long Live the Local campaign ‘spells out what we need as an industry’ and is urging the Government to listen to the BBPA. Since 2021 the BBPA has recorded a net closure of 291 pubs across the North West, North East and Yorkshire. Philip Howell, professor of historical and cultural geography at the University of Cambridge and author of the book Pub, said: ‘When pubs are ripped out of communities and neighbourhoods, the damage to social cohesion is incalculable. ‘With rapidly rising levels of loneliness, we need pubs more than ever. ‘As the survey suggests, the cost of standing by and watching pubs close will be measured in even greater isolation and the fracturing of our communities.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
