Raise a Pint on National Beer Garden Day: Support Local Pubs in North Hertfordshire Before They Close for Good

On May 22, the UK celebrates National Beer Garden Day – a day set aside for enjoying outdoor beverages. assembling friends, relatives, colleagues, or neighbors, and reveling in the sunshine together during the festivities local pub.

As the count of pubs and bars throughout the UK keeps decreasing, a trade association has cautioned that escalating charges and expenses compel numerous establishments to close their doors annually. It could simply be the opportunity to back your nearby community.

Data provided by the Office for National Statistics indicates that the count of pubs and bars in North Hertfordshire has stayed constant compared to the previous year.

There were around 95 openings in 2024, which is about the same as the previous year, but slightly down from the 100 openings seen in 2019 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Based on the latest population figures, there were approximately 73 pubs and bars for every 100,000 individuals in the region last year. This figure exceeds the English and Welsh average of 58 establishments per 100,000 inhabitants.

Throughout the UK, there were approximately 37,875 pubs and bars in 2024 – a decrease from 38,175 in the prior year and the second smallest number since records started in 2010, coming just above an all-time low of 37,865 in 2021 post-Covid-19 outbreak.

These numbers were adjusted to the closest multiple of five.

According to separate Office for National Statistics data, the typical cost of a pint of lager in the UK climbed to £4.83 in January 2025, an increase from £4.69 recorded in January 2024 and from £3.67 seen back in January 2019.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, stated that the decreasing count of pubs and bars throughout the UK highlights the " extreme challenges" faced by licensed premises, including " severe cost pressures".

She cautioned that the shut-down of pubs and bars has a " substantial effect" on local communities, and encouraged the Government to " assist in reducing expenses and alleviating the strain on enterprises".

She added: These serve as centres where individuals come together to rejoice, interact, and be productive. The loss of each one results in job losses and diminished incomes for locals, thereby significantly affecting the nearby economic conditions.

We encourage everyone to frequent their nearby pubs and bars regularly. The situation calls for either supporting them now or potentially losing these establishments altogether.

Emma McClarkin, who leads the British Beer and Pub Association as CEO, stated: These statistics are devastating – not just due to the impact on the staff and communities affected when these closures happen – but also because this situation could be entirely prevented.

Pubs continue to trade robustly, yet unexpected new charges for packaging, increased taxes, and higher employment expenses erode their minimal profit margins, compelling many to close down.

The sole method for the Government to stop this pointless downturn is by providing pubs with an opportunity to thrive.

They need to revamp business rates that disadvantage physical stores, reassess the disorganised packaging charges, and alleviate the effect of rising labour costs so that pubs can stay operational.

The BBPA suggests that taxes account for rose by 40% of the brewing revenues, and stated For every £3 spent in pubs, £1 goes to HMRC.

The Business Minister, Gareth Thomas, stated: " The traditional British pub plays a crucial role in shaping our national character and local neighbourhoods, hence our efforts to back them.

We’re collaborating with businesses to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and expedite licensing changes aimed at revitalizing the UK’s nightlife. Additionally, we’ve introduced a lasting reduction in their business rates, aiding these establishments to expand and flourish.