There’s a potential boost for village pubs as a £10 million three-year Hospitality Grant Scheme launches for applications.
A store attached to a village pub
Money will be invested into projects — also including family run restaurants and neighbourhood cafés — that help get new hospitality ventures off the ground, bring vacant premises back into use, or support training programmes that help people develop the skills, confidence, and work ethic to open doors to future careers.
“Hospitality venues are where communities come together and where many people get their first experience of work,” said Kate Dearden, minister for the future of work. “They create jobs and help our towns and neighbourhoods thrive.
“This funding will back local businesses to grow, boost opportunities for people across the UK, and support growth in every part of the country.”
£3m of the grant funding has been specifically earmarked to support Pub is The Hub, an independent non-profit organisation helping pubs in rural and deprived areas to diversify their services and activities. This includes adding village stores, community cafés, play areas, and arts and crafts activities.
The grant scheme comes as part of the government’s commitment to deliver economic growth in every postcode, and ensure communities across the country can share in that success.
It follows on from the announcement that pubs, clubs, and live music venues are set to receive a 20% cut to their business rates bills from April, saving the typical pub an estimated £1,000 next year.
Pub is The Hub chief executive, John Longden OBE, said: “Access to this new support from the Hospitality Grant Scheme is warmly welcomed as it will help inspire local publicans to diversify to create much-needed local services and activities in their rural, remote or deprived areas.
“BIST (the Department for Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade), together with the Treasury, has recognised the vital role that publicans and pubs play as essential small local businesses, that make positive contributions to local communities. The scheme will also encourage the leveraging of other match private and public funding to support these small businesses.
“This funding will help give long-term certainty to publicans to create new services and activities in their pubs which will deliver a wider social value and create a foundation for well-being in their local areas.
“Pub is The Hub has been very thankful of the support and donations from within the pub and hospitality industry over the past 25 years and looks forward to working in collaboration with the BIST and the sector moving forward.”
Guidance is available now, with applications being received from the end of September.
