Eight pubs a week have ‘vanished’ for good from the communities they once served during the first half of 2025 – the latest blow in a crisis that is reshaping Britain’s social and cultural fabric, according to analysis by global tax firm Ryan.
New figures show the total number of pubs in England and Wales – including those vacant and to let – has plunged to just 38,780 by the end of June 2025, down 209 in six months and a staggering 2,283 lost forever in the past five and a half years.
Pubs which have ‘vanished’ from the communities that they once served have either been demolished and/or converted into other types of use such as homes, offices or even day nurseries.
Alex Probyn, Practice Leader of Property Tax (Europe and Asia-Pacific) at Ryan, warned that the squeeze on the pub trade is intensifying.
Probyn said, “Slashing business rates relief for pubs from 75% to 40% this year has landed the sector with an extra £215 million in tax bills. For a small pub, that’s a leap in the average bill from £3,938 to £9,451 – a 140% increase.”
“The combination of soaring business rates, higher national insurance contributions, the rising national minimum wage and packaging taxes are all quietly draining profits until staying open becomes impossible. When that happens, developers are quick to snap up the plots for more lucrative uses.” Probyn added.
For centuries, the local pub has been a cornerstone of British life – a meeting place, community hub, and source of local employment. But the latest figures show that the rate of decline remains relentless with hundreds more set to disappear.
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