Rachel Reeves sent letter by 600 pub landlords demanding 1 big change

More than 600 pub landlords have signed an open letter to the Chancellor urging her to reform business rates to provide "breathing space to invest" in their pubs.

The letter calls for a lower business rates bill for pubs to be introduced in the Budget this autumn - saving each venue an average of £10,000 a year.

The landlords, who operate 613 pubs owned by Greene King, said this would "recognise the unique economic and social value pubs bring to communities across the UK" and "provide immediate relief" to their businesses.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie, whose chain runs 2,700 pubs, added: "Business rates are one of the biggest barriers to growth in the pub sector, placing a disproportionate burden on businesses of all sizes."

The hospitality industry was hit by a £500million increase in business rates in April alongside a barrage of other costs imposed by Labour.

That included the national insurance hike and a sharp increase in the minimum wage.

Some 89,000 jobs have been axed in restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels since Reeves's Budget last October, an analysis of official figures by trade body UK Hospitality suggested.

The sector is also grappling with high energy bills, which landlords say have tripled since the pandemic, while food prices have also risen in recent months.

The letter said: "'With costs rising across the board, many pubs are struggling to make ends meet, leaving them less able to invest in staff, improve their spaces, or support local economic growth.

"While pubs are well placed to support local growth, intense cost pressures are making survival increasingly difficult."

In its manifesto, Labour promised to "replace the business rates system, so we can raise the same revenue but in a fairer way".