Calls to support your local boozer as rising costs force closures

With the number of pubs and bars across the UK continuing to decline, and a trade association warning rising fees and costs force many pubs to shut each year, it may just be the occasion to go support your local.

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Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of pubs and bars in Leeds has fallen slightly since last year.

There were some 480 open in 2024-down slightly from 485 the year before, but a slight increase from 445 in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using the most recent available population estimates, it suggests there were about 59 pubs and bars per 100,000 people in the area last year, which is slightly above the 58 per 100,000 average across England and Wales.

Across the UK, there were around 37,875 pubs and bars in 2024-down from 38,175 the previous year and the second lowest figure since records began in 2010, after a record-low 37,865 in 2021 following the pandemic. These figures were rounded to the nearest five.