Lindsay Whittle, Plaid Cymru’s Caerffili General Election candidate is backing moves to support Welsh and UK pubs after new figures showed the number of pub closures in Wales is running at TWO A WEEK.
The “I’m backing the pub” campaign was launched to promote pubs as an essential part of community life – and to mobilise public support in favour of action to support them.
The UK beer and pub sector employs more than half a million people across the country. Yet region statistics released by the British Beer and Pub Association show that dozens of pubs are closing every week across the UK.
The figures, produced for the British Beer & Pub Association by CGA Strategy, show that the number of pubs in Wales, England and Scotland fell by 1,013 between June and December 2009 with 1,566 closing and just 553 opening for business.
Lindsay Whittle, who is also leader of Caerffili County Borough Council, said:
“Pubs are a vital part of the local community here in Caerffili. As well as promoting responsible drinking they also provide employment for many local people. So I am delighted to support the ‘I’m Backing the Pub’ campaign.”
“The closure figures shows that more action needs to be taken to support this essential British institution.”
