The ALMR has welcomed the Mayor of London’s announcement to help support the capital’s pubs.
City Hall has today outlined plans to reduce the rate of closures in London and highlighted the important contribution pubs make to the city’s culture and night-time economy. City Hall is also inviting correspondence on how to promote the sector.
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “It is hugely encouraging to see the Mayor acknowledging the vital contribution being made by pubs and confirm his support for the sector. Pubs, bars and late-night venues are an essential part of the UK’s culture and they play an indispensible economic role; this is abundantly evident in the capital. The Mayor’s report recognises the unique role that pubs play and highlights the challenges being faced by these businesses.
“The ALMR has been liaising with the Mayor’s Office and it is great to see many of the issues that we have raised being carefully considered, particularly the damage cause by increasing rates bills, and barriers to growth in the late-night sector.
“The ALMR has been liaising with the Mayor’s office and other national government departments to make sure that the sector is at the forefront of plans such as the Industrial Strategy and local transitional rates relief – which we would urge London’s local authorities to allocate to the hospitality sector that has been so hard hit by this month’s revaluation.
“The report shows that the Mayor is determined to support hardworking pubs in London and the ALMR is looking forward to working closely with him to help inform future plans to support pubs and the broader Cultural Infrastructure Plan for 2030.
“We are also looking forward to continuing our work with the Night Czar to help support London’s innovative and exciting late-night venues and we look forward to seeing and hearing from her at our upcoming Spring Conference.”