James May has opened up about pubs closing their doors for good – and the reasoning behind the increasing number of boozers shutting down in the UK
James May has suggested the number of pubs shutting is down to their quality.
The ex-Top Gear host, who co-owns the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, spoke out after figures recently found around two boozers closed each day in the first three months of this year. Prince William recently visited the Prince of Peckham in London to throw his support around the industry.
But James, 63, said: “I get very conflicted about all the ‘save the pub’ stuff that goes on. It’s great Prince William says he likes pubs, that’s got to help but the honest truth is, if things need protecting, they’re not doing themselves any favours.”
He added: “Pubs are not actually institutions, they’re not historical monuments of any of that stuff, they are essentially businesses first and foremost but beyond that, they’re places to have to work. The pub will be saved by the pub, nothing else.
“It would be nice if we could have lower rates and lower duties and so on but that’s not really the issue. The issue is the quality of the pub themselves.”
It comes after recent data showed 161 pubs shut their doors for good this year which works out to around 2,400 job losses. That’s also a 26% jump on the same time last year.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) blamed tax hikes and rising labour costs, including the increase to the minimum wage. Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been warned measures she unveiled in her budget last November would mean more boozers would be forced to serve last orders.
And months later she announced they would receive business rates support to help them cope.
James said his pub had become “quite successful in recent months”, adding the answer was “pretty simple”. He added: “It’s cheerful staff, a nice range of drinks, decent food, clean lavatories, somewhere to park the car in the case of the countryside, it’s a fairly simple formula.”