This month has brought news that two historic Northumberland countryside pubs look set to become houses after they were deemed financially unviable by their owners.
Proposals to convert the Railway Inn in Fourstones were finally approved more than a decade after it ceased operating as a pub.
Meanwhile plans have been submitted to do the same to the Blue Bell in Mickley, which closed in April 2025. Both cases have seen an outpouring of both sadness and anger from their communities.
But it is a story that is being repeated up and down the country. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reported that the K lost 1,086 pubs between January 1 and October 22, with 185 either demolished or converted into alternative uses like shops or housing.
The general consensus is that once a pub is lost, it never returns and is rarely replaced. CAMRA has described the situation as a “crisis” and said pubs are being “pushed to the brink” by “unfair and unsustainable tax burdens”.
The Government has announced a 20% cut to business rates for pubs starting in 2027. However, many fear this does not go far enough.
Coun Guy Renner-Thompson represents the Bamburgh ward on Northumberland County Council. The area includes the popular seaside villages of Beadnell and Seahouses as well as Bamburgh itself.
But even with these tourist hotspots, many local pubs are struggling.
Coun Renner-Thompson said: “We did some analysis earlier in the year and one pub in my area saw their rateable value go up by 400% in the last review. While any Government relief is welcome, this won’t make enough of a difference.
“There are a lot in my ward that are up for sale and are struggling to find buyers. Any that are available in the likes of Bamburgh and Seahouses usually get taken up quickly, but you don’t have to go far inland to find issues.
“It’s always the way, because you would never normally get permission to turn a pub into a house unless you can prove it’s not financially viable. Nobody wanting to buy it is a very good sign it’s not financially viable.
“Once they’re gone, you never get them back. Nobody buys a house and turns it into a pub.
“In some of these villages the pub is the last thing left. The shop and the post office and everything else has already closed down.”
The Government has admitted that pubs, social clubs and live music venues that ” form the backbone of local high streets” have been replaced by “boarded up windows and for sale signs” for “far too long”. The business rate cuts will benefit nearly 32,000 pubs, clubs and live music venues, saving the typical pub an estimated £1,100 in the next financial year.
Northumberland Labour leader Coun Scott Dickinson said the support would help the sector.
He said: “They are still struggling, but the Government has already done a package of additional support for cultural venues and small venus such as pubs.
“Yes, they have had a difficult time. They have been trying to get through Covid and they have had help – but not enough.
“I’m pleased to see the Government is looking at potential ways to help the sector survive and thrive.”