Following the publication of party manifestos ahead of the forthcoming Holyrood election, the Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has welcomed the near cross-party consensus on the need to reform or review business rates and the existing valuation methodology for hospitality businesses.
The manifestos have been published as industry submits responses to the independent review of the valuation methodology of licensed hospitality led by BJ Gill KC, which was established by the Scottish Government to ensure a fair, transparent, and evidence-based approach to valuing hospitality premises.
Amid the acute challenges facing Scotland’s beer and pub sector, the SBPA’s manifesto published in January outlined a range of practical asks for the next Scottish Government to adopt to help ensure brewers and pubs remain economically viable and secure the sector’s future for years to come.
Central to the manifesto was a call for parties to permanently address the disproportionate business rates burden facing pubs – which has been a significant contributing factor to closures across the sector in Scotland through the last parliamentary session. Over the past five years, 293 Scottish pubs have closed permanently, amounting to 6.4% of all pubs in the country. This compares to 4.1% in England during the same period.
Paul Togneri of the Scottish Beer and Pub Associations said:
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“With the Holyrood election fast approaching, this cross-party alignment on the need to tackle the business rates burden facing pubs is very welcome. Business rates bills are one of the biggest challenges facing pubs across our country, so an intervention here is integral to the sustainability of our sector.
“More broadly, it was encouraging to see commitments across party manifestos to reduce bureaucracy facing business, and extend the pilot for alcohol at football – both of these are key pre-election asks of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association.
“We now look forward to working constructively with newly elected MSPs after the election to deliver these manifesto commitments and ensure our critically important sector receives the support it desperately needs”.
