Hampshire pubs face 'disastrous' bills while closed - with a Denmead landlord spending more than £60,000 on his shut business

After almost a year of restrictions on the pub sector, landlords across the area have revealed that government support is still lacking while costs are mounting.

Angus Reid says his pub The Chairmakers in Apless Lane, World’s End, has drained more than £60,000 of his life savings – on top of government grants – since the pandemic began.

With the government paying 80 per cent of the wages for 10 furloughed staff members, Angus is making up the shortfall at a cost of £3,000 – with utility bills and insurance creating a total monthly expenditure of £5,400.

The Chairmakers has received grants of £15,000 from the government, but the relatively small amount shows the government does not understand the challenges facing pubs, according to the 55-year-old.

The former Royal Navy sailor, who has run the pub with his wife Sherry since 2019, said: ‘The government have been naive, but it’s more than that - it’s not understanding how a pub or restaurant works. They don’t understand all the costs of having a pub even when you're closed. It’s like the government hasn't looked at how much it costs to run a pub.

‘We were looking to retire in four or five years, but now we're looking at pushing that back by another four or five years.

‘We are living in the pub, but we were looking to buy a house.

‘That's the biggest change to our lives.

‘It’s been disastrous – and it's not just us, it’s landlords across the country.’

Portsmouth publican Chrissy Sloan echoed the sentiment, with her pub The Milton Arms going through a tumultuous 10 months.

The previous landlord of the Portsmouth pub left in July, telling The News that the first lockdown ‘killed’ the business, and new landlady Chrissy says she has struggled to secure paperwork necessary for much-needed government support.

Chrissy and partner Dan Smith spent more than 14 weeks and £8,000 of their own savings on renovating the pub before its opening on December 5 - and then shut its doors just two weeks later due to changing Covid-19 restrictions.

She said: ‘I’m in a bad place because I can’t get any Bounceback Loans from the government, because I don’t have any books or figures.

‘I borrowed money from a friend and I need to pay that back soon.

‘I spent £3,700 on our first brewery order and we had to throw half of that away.

‘It’s heartbreaking.’

Even well-established pubs with smaller overheads and a limited delivery service need more government support if they are to break even, according to Gosport landlady Shannon Bull.

The owner of Four-Ale Taproom in Stoke Road said it feels like pubs have received the very least support that the government could get away with offering.

She said: ‘We got £1,000 in December – but I’m still facing bills of a couple hundreds pounds, and I’ve had to throw away hundreds of pounds of stock.

‘It’s looking like we’ll end this financial year with a loss.

'It isn't sustainable, if this is still going on later in the year.’

Despite the challenges, the 22-year-old remains upbeat: 'We will keep fighting until we have nothing left in the bank.

'I'm quiet positive. At the end of the day, all this is going to end.’

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But pub’s face a cliff edge in the coming months, Angus warns, with the landlord urging others to join hospitality lobbying group Wonky Table in their fight to keep VAT rates low and business rates suspended until businesses can resume normal service.

Angus said: ‘The government needs to extend the VAT cuts and the business rate holiday.

‘It would have to be both. One wouldn’t be enough.

‘We just want the chance to build ourselves back up.’

Whatever happens, the landlord remains committed to saving his and his wife’s cherished business: ‘I don’t regret taking it on at all. It's in my blood. We have been in hospitality on and off most of our lives.

‘If I had my business head on, I would walk away.

‘But we both love the pub. It’s one of those places you always dream of running. We believe in it.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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