Last Call? Are Immigrants to Blame for the Closure of British Pubs?

Stephen Williams, the Liberal-Democrats communities' minister, has weighed into the Great British pub debate, telling the House of Commons that new waves of immigrants — arriving from countries where drinking alcohol is not a cultural custom — has led to the decline of the pub trade in some parts of the country.

"In my own constituency, lots of pubs have closed but it is usually because of demographic change," Bristol representative Mr. Williams said.

He said that parts of his own constituency that used to have "a white working class community 20 or 30 years ago are now populated primarily by recently-arrived Somalis and other people," which he believes has led to a number of pubs closing down, due to a lack of patronage.

The comments come as the government unveils new plans to try and protect pubs, which have been closing at a rate of 31 per week, as more and more landlords shut up shop.

The new measures will make it harder for pubs to be either demolished or transformed for other uses, such as supermarkets or housing.

However, in trying to address the problem, we need to find out what is actually forcing pubs to close.

If it is, as Mr Williams suggests, a lack of patronage from new immigrant groups, should the UK try and encourage our new arrivals to at least sneak down to the local watering hole for a quick pint after work, just so we get to meet our new neighbours?

Or should David Cameron's coalition introduce a law, forcing all British residents to spend x amount of hours in a licensed establishment during the week? Surely that'd boost the weekly takings?

Last Drinks at the bar — What is Actually Causing British Pubs to Close?

Despite Britons being very proud of their history of local watering holes, the demise of the British pub is not a new phenomenon.

In fact, the number of public houses in the UK peaked in the late 19th century, and has been on the decline ever since.

The economic crisis of 2009 seemingly hit pubs the hardest in recent memory, with industry figures citing tough rental agreements, rising prices and social shifts away from the pub as reasons forcing publicans to turn off the taps for good.

Greedy Pubcos?

James Watson, London region pub protection advisor for campaigning group CAMRA, has long been critical of the role larger pub companies, known as Pubcos, have played in leading to the closure of licensed venues.

Currently, about a half of the UK's pubs are owned by Pubcos, with many critics saying the conglomerates aren't interested in improving the pub industry, but are simply driven by profits.

James Watson argues that many landlords are forced into harsh rental agreements for their pubs, saying that many pay inflated prices for a limited selection of beer and wine.

He told Sputnik UK that new measures to give landlords more power over Pubcos would help to halt the "cultural crime" of pubs being closed down and transformed into other businesses.

However, despite the attacks on Pubcos, research from the think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), challenged the widespread belief that Pubcos were significantly contributing to the closure of pubs in the UK.

The IEA report ‘Closing Time: Who's Killing the British Pub?' notes that the blame attributed to Pubcos has been "greatly overstated," stating that the rate of closures in the Pubco sector is only slightly higher than the rate of closures of independent pubs.

Changing Culture: Are Pubs Losing Their Appeal?

Many have suggested that attempts to revive pubs may all be in vain, as the once institutionalised British pub culture may be fading out in favour of small bars, coffee shops and micro-breweries.

So the question is being asked — is it not the 100,000 Somali immigrants in the UK that are to blame for not heading down to the local bar to watch the football over a lager? But is it the 64 million Brits who are in essence losing some of their Britishness? And the pubs are suffering as a result?

The IEA report on pub closures noted that in the ten years leading up to 2013, there was a 54 percent drop in beer sales at licensed venues, compared to a 16 percent drop in beer sales at off-licence venues such as supermarkets.

This led author of the report Christopher Snowden to write that "Britons are not just losing their taste for beer, they are losing their taste for beer in pubs in particular."

This would seemingly rule out blaming groups of non-beer swilling immigrants for social trends that appear far more engrained.

A Cocktail of Reasons — too Many Taxes, too Many Rules and Changing Attitudes

Despite the evidence and opinions, it is not unreasonable to suggest that most of the reasons mentioned above — except the immigration of Somali residents — seem to have in some way contributed to a drop in pub patronage and perhaps somehow contributed to the closure of some local ale houses.

The most recent report published by the IEA, which takes into account market figures and looks into industry trends, lays the most severe blame with increased taxation and regulation, a drop in real wages and cultural changes as the reasons why pubs are closing at the rate they are.

And although the report identifies "long term cultural shifts" as a contributing factor leading to the closure of pubs, the centuries old phenomenon of pubs closing down doesn't back up claims that the fairly recent arrival of non-drinking immigrants can be blamed for not propping up the tills of the local Inn.

Despite the challenges, it seems the appeal of pubs still burns strong for many Britons, and although admitting that "times have changed" since the heyday of pubs, campaigner James Watson told Sputnik UK that he believes the watering hole is still a relevant modern-day institution.

"I think there's still a basic human need for social interaction. In my neighbourhood, all of my neighbours use the local pubs and we see each other there and have a catch up. There is still a sense of community based on pubs."

Hear, hear! Cheers!