Without proper support South Yorkshire pubs risk closing for good, industry leader warns

The Chief Executive of CAMRA has issued a stark warning over the future of South Yorkshire’s pubs following the announcement that the area will enter into Tier 3 restrictions.
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Responding to Tier 3 restrictions being placed on South Yorkshire from Saturday, CAMRA Chief Executive Tom Stainer said: “These Tier 3 restrictions will be absolutely devastating for local pubs and breweries across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

“Publicans have done everything to make their premises COVID-secure, and have been operating at reduced trade for months whilst trying to recover from both the first lockdown and months of reduced consumer confidence as a result of restrictions like the curfew.

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“If pubs across South Yorkshire are to avoid becoming a sacrificial lamb then they need a decent, long-term financial support package. This must properly compensate pubs for having to either close altogether - or stay open with extremely low footfall whilst they serve food.

The Bridge Inn, ThurgolandThe Bridge Inn, Thurgoland
The Bridge Inn, Thurgoland

“It also needs to help pubs pay wages before the new jobs support scheme kicks in, as well as providing help in the weeks and months after restrictions are lifted if pubs and breweries are to have any chance of getting back on their feet and avoiding having to close their doors for good before Christmas.”

Today Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis announced that the area would be entering into Tier 3 lockdown restrictions at 12.01am on Saturday (October 24), having agreed a deal with Downing Street including a £41m ifnancial support package.

Tier 3 will mean that bars and pubs will have to close, unless they are serving ‘substantial meals’ in a socially distanced setting, to groups of people from the same household.

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And while the Mayor said he “confident [he] could not have secured any more money” and that he “fought very hard”, many pubs believe the support secured will not be enough to enable them to survive.

Karen Jubb, landlady of The Bridge Inn in Thurgoalnd, said: “I agree with what Tom Stainer says. It’s quite devastating to see all over Facebook that most of the pubs in our area will close after Friday.

“We as of yet have no confirmed timeline, the build up to Christmas is what sees us through in to the new year and without the trade many won’t survive.

“A long term plan needs to be put in place and more support needs to be offered, a review in four weeks is not enough for our trade especially with Christmas just around the corner."

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Among the pubs and bars to announce they would close after Friday in Sheffield were The Albion on London Road and Bungalows and Bears on Division Street.

A statement form staff at The Albion – A Stancill Brewery pub – said: “We’ve come to an incredibly hard decision after this mornings news and decided that today will be our last day of trading until the government allows us to open again.“Times are hard and with all the new restrictions in place it is just not viable for us a business to remain open any longer.“We cannot stress enough how much we are all going to miss you in these coming weeks/months, however long it is till we see you all again.”At The Bridge Inn, Karen is doing her best to stay open and is offering a ‘Tier 3 special’ meal for £5.95.

She said: “I refuse to close unless I am made to.“Most of my customers rely on the pub for some sort of social interaction, some live alone and we are the only people they see,so to remove that human connection is just cruel.

"Over the first lockdown many made their daily walk past the pub just on the off chance of a quick chat or a wave, this time round with the poor weather that wouldn’t be possible.

"I will continue to support my customers as they have supported me. We will keep going for as long as we can but if we give up now I fear we may not reopen.”