What's the point of village pubs that price out locals?

HOW many more pubs will have pulled their last pint by the end of today? As many as two if industry trends continue — a sobering thought.

- Caroline Bullock

That perfect storm of soaring business rates and national insurance hikes is now raging — a reality laid bare by the likes of chef and pub owner Tom Kerridge calling on the government to reduce hospitality VAT from 20% to 10%.

‘And it plays out around us, that slow fade of once vibrant establishments with their reduced opening hours and roadside signs advertising for bar staff. The use it or lose it mantra has never been more apt, but the situation also raises broader questions.

Spiralling costs dominate the narrative, but a further threat prevails — I’m thinking of the rise in that chi-chi reinvention of village pubs catering to a premium crowd, pricing out locals and alienating the traditional pub goer. Everyone has an idea of what a traditional village pub is or should be — landlords, lock ins and low beams all within stumbling distance for those locals who prop up the bar.

And while the bygone age of beer mats, fruit machines and dart boards may be lost for ever in a fug of cigarette smoke, the traditional charms of these uniquely British institutions can still thrive.