Price of a pint too expensive for Brits
A survey by YouGov found that more than half (56%) of the 2,070 respondents said the price of a pint of beer in a UK pub is unaffordable.
Pub pint prices are continuing to rise, with one third of the cost of a pint now made up of various taxes including beer duty, business rates and VAT, according to the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA).
Driving drinkers out
Pricey pints
Price comparison experts revealed the most and least expensive pints across the nation in May this year.
Money Guru uncovered a pint postcode lottery across the UK with the priciest being in the south of the UK.
The most expensive pint at £5.19 was in London, followed by Oxford at £4.57, Edinburgh’s average cost of a pint was £4.35, Bristol was in fourth place at £4.32 and Winchester was fifth most expensive at £4.30. Significantly a beer in London is more than double (55%) the price of a beer in Carlisle.
When it came to the cheapest pints, it was indeed Carlisle that topped the list with an average price of £2.35 followed by Chelmsford, in Essex, at £2.60.
In third place was Newport, south Wales, at £2.75, Armagh in Northern Ireland was fourth at £2.78 and in joint fifth place was Salisbury, in Wiltshire, Lancaster and Newry, in Northern Ireland, all with an average pint cost of £2.80.
Money Guru also collected statistics on prices from around the world including, on average, the price of a single beer in Dubai, UAE, standing at £9.
CAMRA also stated that pubs are very often at the centre of local communities, playing a key role in supporting personal wellbeing and combating loneliness, but rising prices are driving drinkers out of pubs, putting them at risk of closure.
The organisation also said it was “extremely concerned” that there is no end in sight to rising prices, with the Government planning to increase the tax paid by pubs in the November Budget, CAMRA claimed.
It said current plans will see beer duty rise by about 2p per pint, meaning pubs could be set to lose £1,000 in business rate relief, increasing pressure on pubs and driving away drinkers.
Detrimental effect
CAMRA national chairman Jackie Parker said: “It is no surprise that most people are finding pub pints unaffordable, given the tax burden they are facing.
“Beer drinkers will naturally look to more cost-effective ways to enjoy a drink, such as buying from off-licences and supermarkets for home consumption.
“The result is incredibly detrimental to our local communities and to our own personal connectivity. Having a good local makes people happier, better-connected and more trusting.
“Furthermore, pubs help bring communities together and support the local economy. The reality is that there are very few places that can replicate the benefit provided by our nation’s pubs and once they are gone, they are gone forever.”
