Village pub to call time due to 'ongoing costs'

The White Horse in Badingham will close at the end of September

A village pub will soon be shutting its doors due to running costs, its owner has said.

The White Horse in Badingham, near Framlingham, Suffolk, announced on Wednesday that its last day of trading would be 28 September.

David Moss, managing director of Moss and Co, which owns the pub, said: "It's trading well, but it's all the ongoing costs that the government has forced on to people who own pubs."

The Treasury has previously said that pubs, cafes and restaurants are vital to communities and it is cutting the cost of licensing, extending business rates relief and capping corporation tax to help them.

David Moss said the pub had been trading well but the running costs were too high

"It's a fantastic venue and we tried to keep it going for the last three years," Mr Moss said.

He called for hospitality on VAT to be cut, and said business rates relief, the increase in National Insurance and the increase in the minimum wage had all played a part.

Mr Moss said staff were being offered roles elsewhere within the business, and he would be focusing on those other establishments.

"The youngsters of today... don't come out and spend like we used to," he said.

"They haven't got so much to spend so they spend less time at the pub."

Camra's Nigel Smith said there was a "recurring" theme of pubs closing

Over the past five years, almost 1,000 night-time business including pubs and nightclubs have closed across the region, according to the Night Time Industries Association.

Nigel Smith, the Campaign for Real Ale's organiser for Suffolk, said there was "no one answer to any venue", and often those with "money to spend and time to spare" tended to enjoy pubs more.