Data reveals stark divides in pub closures across constituencies

Voters took to the polls yesterday (Thursday 7 May) for the 2026 local elections, as analysis of constituency-level data by The MA revealed some areas have been hit harder than others by pub closures.

The figures highlighted both major cities and smaller towns have borne the brunt of the decline in pubs, as closures continue to outpace openings in may parts of the country.

Tracking changes in pub numbers up to April 2025, data from real-time market intelligence firm Oxford Partnership, showed the largest losses were concentrated in constituencies with the biggest pub estates.

The Cities of London and Westminster recorded the highest number of closures, with 22 pubs shutting, despite remaining the most pub-dense constituency in the UK.

The figures also highlighted continued churn in central urban areas, where high operating costs and fragile trading conditions continue to affect operators.

Manchester Central recorded the second-highest number of closures, with 17 pubs shutting, representing more than 11% of its total estate.

Proportional declines

However, some of the sharpest impacts were seen in constituencies with smaller pub estates - where a handful of closures can account for a greater proportion of local venues.

Taunton and Wellington saw 12 pubs close, equating to almost one in five pubs in the constituency, while Dundee Central recorded 11 closures, representing nearly 16% of its estate.

Tourism-dependent locations also featured prominently among areas experiencing notable losses.

Brighton Pavilion recorded 12 closures, accounting for more than 10% of its pubs, while coastal and rural constituencies including Scarborough and Whitby, South Devon, and Westmorland and Lonsdale also saw high levels of attrition.

Several commuter and market town constituencies experienced similarly steep proportional declines.

Kenilworth and Southam lost more than 12% of its pubs, while Macclesfield recorded the closure of nearly one in 10 venues, underlining the pressures facing pubs outside major city centres.

Because constituencies vary significantly in the size of their pub estates, higher closure totals tended to be concentrated in urban areas with more pubs overall, while smaller towns and rural constituencies can experience sharper percentage losses from fewer closures.

As a result, proportional declines often provide a clearer indication of the local impact of pub closures than raw numbers alone.

Responding to the figures, a Government spokesperson told The MA ministers were taking steps to support pubs and hospitality businesses.

“We are backing Britain’s pubs – cutting this year’s business rates bills by 15% followed by a two year freeze, extending World Cup opening hours and increasing the Hospitality Support Fund to £10m to help venues grow,” the spokesperson said.

Impacted regions

“Later this year, we’ll also build on our Pride in Place programme with a new High Streets Strategy to revitalise town centres.

“This comes on top of capping corporation tax, cutting alcohol duty on draught pints and six cuts in interest rates, benefiting businesses in every part of Britain.”

While some constituencies reported no net closures over the period, the data showed openings generally failed to offset losses in many areas, particularly where pub numbers are already limited.

According to the figures, the total number of pubs across the UK well exceeded 30,000 when the data was collated.

This comes as more than two pubs a day were estimated to have closed in the first quarter of 2026, according to figures from British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Meanwhile, analysis of the data by The MA showed more than 16,000 pubs have been lost since the millennium.

In addition, recent figures from global tax firm Ryan highlighted the East Midlands, north west, Yorkshire & Humber, south west, West Midlands and London as the most impacted regions for pub closures.