In Hemel, Bovingdon, Chipperfield and Flaunden and across our region, something familiar is quietly disappearing: the local pub.
Not long ago, pubs were packed on a Friday night, quiz teams filled back rooms, and landlords knew customers by name. Today, too many are closing their doors for good, and your local is not immune due to the policies of the Labour Government.
Across the country, pubs are shutting at an alarming rate under mounting financial pressure. 161 pubs closed in just the first three months of this year, almost two a day, a 26% increase on last year.
Hemel isn’t immune
Walk around our town and nearby villages, and you’ll hear the same story: rising costs, fewer customers, and impossible choices.
Local landlords are being squeezed from every direction, higher business rates, rising wages, and increased taxes. For many, the sums simply no longer add up.
Industry leaders warn that even pubs doing good trade are seeing profits “wiped out by a disproportionate tax burden and huge costs.”
And when a pub closes, it’s not replaced by another pub. It’s often gone for good.
More than just a pint
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about beer.
Pubs are where birthdays are celebrated, where charity events are hosted, where friendships are built. They’re one of the last places where people from all walks of life come together.
Lose the pub, and you lose part of the community.
Policy choices have consequences
Hospitality businesses have always faced challenges, but what’s different now is the scale, and the speed.
The combination of rising taxes, staff costs, and regulatory pressure is forcing landlords to make impossible decisions. In just three months, closures have already led to around 2,400 job losses, many of them young people starting out in work.
The result? Closures are accelerating, and once they’re gone, they rarely come back.
Jobs disappearing too
Behind every pub closure are local jobs lost, bar staff, kitchen workers, cleaners, and suppliers. For many young people in Hemel, pubs are a first step into work. Those opportunities are shrinking fast.
A warning for our town
This is about more than pubs. It’s about the future of Hemel’s high streets and community life.
If we continue down this path, we risk hollowing out our town, replacing vibrant, welcoming spaces with empty buildings or developments that do little to serve local people.
Time to stand up for our locals
We can’t take our pubs for granted. They are part of what makes Hemel Hempstead feel like home. And if current trends continue, we will lose more of them. Once your local goes, it doesn’t come back. And that’s something Hemel simply can’t afford.
Backing our locals: The Conservative's plan
The Conservative Party has pledged a clear alternative: scrap business rates entirely for high street pubs, shops, and restaurants. Under this plan, these businesses would receive 100% rates relief, removing one of their biggest cost burdens and giving struggling venues the breathing space they need to survive.
The policy is designed to tackle the sharp increases in business rates that many local businesses say are pushing them to the brink. The estimated £4 billion annual cost would be funded through reductions in welfare spending and a smaller civil service, prioritising support for local high streets over bureaucracy.
