Campaigning to save Community Pubs

Join our campaign to help save local pubs through community ownership.

With thousands of pubs across the UK closing or under threat we need to take action now to help them survive.

Community owned pubs offer a real life-line to those who want to save their much-loved local pub.

Help our campaign by:

Support community pubs by donating to our campaign – it doesn’t matter how small or large your donation – your money will go directly to helping community owned pubs. Please donate here

Support community-owned pubs by becoming a Plunkett supporter member for just £20 per year

Saving your pub? If you’re a community group and want to save your pub find out about our FREE help and advice

Stay connected – if you’d like to hear more about our work follow our social media or email us at info@plunkett.co.uk

Policy Call To Action: support our campaign to help community owned pubs survive and thrive.

The network of 150 community owned pubs, UK wide are under greater pressure than ever. Along with the wider hospitality sector they have endured nearly 12 months of restrictions or lockdowns that has threatened their long term viability.
Plunkett is calling on governments to offer the support needed to help these businesses survive – view our Policy Call to Action below:

Plunkett understands the importance of having a pub open and offering multiple services in communities across the UK. These valuable assets offer a place that brings people together, contributes to local trade, helps address problems of isolation, loneliness and offers much needed job opportunities and training.

The Covid pandemic has put thousands of pubs across the UK at risk of closure. This tragic situation will lead to job losses and the closure of a vital community facility in many areas across the UK. Plunkett stands ready to help in these communities, where a community buyout could be a solution to saving the local pub.

There are now 150 pubs in community ownership across the UK and this number is growing, however in order to make this sector succeed change is needed. We are asking the UK Government, Devolved Administrations and Local Councils to make legislative chances and provisions to support these enterprises that are so much #MoreThanAPub.

To benefit community-owned pub projects in development, we would like to see:
  • A consistent Community Right to Buy across the UK that protects local assets and offers communities a right of first refusal on assets that are put up for sale
  • Flexibility in the Community Ownership Fund on the match-funding requirement, to make the Fund accessible to all communities, regardless of their relative affluence
  • Local Councils to provide greater support to community businesses through the Public Works Loan and them being given the power to on-lend this money directly to community businesses
  • Ensure that community businesses can access Government finance through banks, without unnecessary delays due to their legal structure
  • Support for the wellbeing of staff and volunteers working in the pub sector, e.g. access to advice and mental health services
In the longer term:
  • A standard business rate relief for community businesses and social enterprises, similar to what is afforded to charities, so acknowledge their social contribution.
  • Social Investment Tax Relief to be retained and reformed beyond April 2023

We need to act now if we want to save our community owned pubs

With our pubs facing crisis we need to send a clear message to our government via our local MPs to help community owned pubs.

We want to see further financial measures to ensure pubs survive the pandemic and legislative change so that they thrive in the future.

Thank you for your support.