Britain has lost 28,000 pubs since the 1970s
The organisation’s Good Beer Guide 2018 has called for more support for British pubs after it revealed they are under a greater threat than ever.
The guide also reported that when CAMRA was formed in the early 1970s, Britain had 75,000 pubs but this figure now stands at fewer than 50,000, with consumers drinking at home rather than the pub.
While there are a number of contributing factors to the decline of pubs, the guide described the new business rates revaluation as the latest “ticking time bomb” to devastate the sector.
According to the guide, CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year 2012, the Baum in Rochdale, Lancashire, will see its rateable value rise by a staggering 377%.
Business rates rise
CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year 2015, the Sandford Park Alehouse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, will face an increase of 181%.
Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz outlined how pubs are not only the heart of a community but how they are an institute, synonymous with British culture.
He said: “The British pub is unique – it is rooted in our island’s history, dating from Roman and Saxon times.
“There is no better place for people to meet, enjoy a beer, strike up a conversation, make new friends and put the world to rights."
Irreplaceable atmosphere
He added: “Above all, the British pub, both ancient and modern, has character and an atmosphere that could never be replaced.”
Meanwhile, veteran beer writer Roger Protz stepped down as the editor of the Good Beer Guide.
He confirmed to The Morning Advertiser that he does intend to continue writing full time and has no plans as of yet for retirement.
The 78-year-old first joined CAMRA in 1976. He edited the Good Beer Guide from 1978 to 1983, before coming back for a second stint to edit every edition since 2000.
