“People can’t get enough of football fever,” a pub landlord, Sam Hale, told the Guardian last week. The World Cup provided the UK’s struggling hospitality industry with a much-needed boost, with pubs benefiting from extended opening hours and one estimate suggesting that an extra 5.5m pints were sold in the group stages alone. The tournament lifted customers’ spirits too – even if it ended in disappointment for England and Scotland fans – as millions of people relished the communal spectacle.
These sociable few weeks could not have come at a better time for pubs, which are closing at a rate of two a day, with about 2,000 gone since 2020. This reflects a long-term trend away from going out, combined with pressures from rising costs including energy bills, business rates, wages and national insurance contributions. The hope in the sector, and among its advocates, is that the temporary uplift of the past few weeks will focus minds on the importance of venues, including pubs, in promoting social cohesion and “watercooler moments”.
The wider industry is campaigning for a halving of VAT on hospitality from 20% to 10%, and more than 288,000 people have signed a petition. Given the likely cost to the Treasury of at least £10bn, this proposal is unlikely to be taken up. A thinktank, Tax Policy Associates, has pointed out that multinational businesses, including McDonald’s, would be the biggest beneficiaries. But with a recent survey finding that almost a quarter of pubs and restaurants are losing money, ministers should be looking for ways to help.
This is not just a matter of owners’ finances. Spaces where people can meet and talk to each other, and share special occasions, are an important part of our collective life. The American sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined a name for them, “third places”, and pubs are not the only ones that fit the bill. His point was the value of the public realm more widely – parks, libraries, youth clubs. And it is important to recognise that pubs’ overall impact includes harms linked to alcohol. But sales of no- and low-alcohol beer are booming and, particularly in rural areas, pubs are vital facilities at a time where loneliness is also a serious public health issue.
The shrinking number of entry-level jobs in sectors including hospitality is another concern. In his interim report for the government on young people and work, Alan Milburn argued that this is one factor behind the rising number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are neither in work nor education.
It is easy to be nostalgic about pubs, as it is about many things that are associated with the past. They are not the be-all and end-all of thriving neighbourhoods. One reason why people are staying in more is that there is more to watch on television than there used to be. It is good if people enjoy being in their homes.
But there is real value in making an effort to be around others, having face-to-face conversations rather than tapping out messages. Recent research has pointed to social isolation among young adults as a growing problem. Experts differ as to explanations, but the pandemic, home working and social media have all been suggested. A worthwhile legacy of this World Cup would be a strengthened recognition of the value of shared, in-person experiences after the fever has died down.
