Cornwall pub landlord Will McClelland, Kings Arms on lockdown pressure

Pub landlord Will McClelland, of the Kings Arms in Paul, near Mousehole, was one of the respondents who took part in a nationwide survey by the Countryside Alliance.

The organisation said he told them that, as it stands, it is unlikely his business will survive if required to shut until June without substantial financial support from the government.

Mr McClelland revealed that the pub had already spent large sums installing virus preventative equipment to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to keep staff and customers safe.

Prior to the most recent national lockdown, the Kings Arms had seen a drop in customer footfall and suggested the requirement to provide a ‘substantial meal’ was a contributing factor. As a result, Mr. McClelland is supporting the Alliance’s call for the requirement to be scrapped, when pubs re-open again.

Will McClelland is landlord of the Kings Arms at Paul near Mousehole

This week the Countryside Alliance, a national rural campaigning organisation, revealed the results from its recent rural pubs survey.

It found 92 per cent of landlords who responded want to scrap the requirement for customers to purchase a ‘substantial meal’.

Only 34 per cent of those responding report they can last out being shut until summer, with many saying the inability to sell alcohol as part of takeaways was having a negative impact on those pubs left open. Landlords were split over the benefit of the reintroduction of ‘Eat out to Help out’ scheme.

Around 80 landlords and pub owners from across the country took part in the survey.

Of those, 70 per cent thought they would be able to survive if restrictions are lifted by April, when it is hoped that the vaccine should have been given to people in the most vulnerable groups. However, when asked about being required to remain closed until June, the number drops to 37 per cent.

When asked for what more could be done to aid their business, the top request mentioned was for business rates and VAT on beer to be scrapped or significantly reduced.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, of the Countryside Alliance, said: "Rightly, much of the government’s focus is on rolling out vaccinations across the country. It is only through doing this that we can seriously pave the way for returning to normality.

"Understandably, the underlying anxieties and hurt caused by Covid-19 across the pub industry remain very much alive. Pubs are at the forefront of their communities up and down the countryside and their loss would be both catastrophic and irreversible."

He added: "When the government address the matter of easing lockdown, pubs need a clear roadmap and sufficient, practical advance warning. Rules such as having to purchase substantial meals for example, need to be scrapped as this appears to be having an adverse effect on customer flow, something many pubs just can’t afford. Financial security in the event of prolonged periods of closure is also key to their survival."

Considering the views expressed by rural publicans, the Countryside Alliance is calling on the government to:

• Offer a practical road map for pubs and the hospitality industry at large to help them realistically prepare for when they can resume trading again;

• Allow those pubs that are continuing to operate safely as a takeaway service to sell alcohol, as supermarkets continue to do;

• When pubs do reopen again, the requirement for patrons to purchase a substantial meal should be scrapped as it is unclear how this helps stop the spread of Covid and it is having an adverse impact on pubs at an already difficult enough time;

• If forced to remain closed into the summer months, provide these struggling businesses with increased financial support.