Slight decline in Peterborough pubs over past decade

Figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 45 public houses in the constituency in 2010, compared to 40 in 2020, despite a large rise in the population.

There had been a fall to 35 from between 2013 and 2015 before a rise after this point.

All figures have been rounded to the nearest five by the ONS.

The decline in pubs locally mirrors the UK picture which has seen numbers dwindle by 13,600 from 2000 to 2019 (22 per cent).

More recently, 2010 to 2020 saw pub numbers fall by 15 per cent.

In 2019, according to the British Beer and Pub Association, there were 47,200 public houses in the UK, of which 23,400 were independents, 13,900 owned by pub companies and 9,900 owned by breweries.

In the same year, according to ONS data, there were 71 pubs per 100,000 people in the UK, compared to 111 in 1990.

In the North West Cambridgeshire constituency, which includes Peterborough the number of pubs has declined from 80 in 2010 to 70 in 2020, while North East Cambridgeshire has seen a drop from 85 to 65.

In Peterborough, the number of pubs with up to nine employees has reduced from 30 to 20 over the same period, but the number with between 10 and 49 has increased from 15 to 20, showing a rise in the number of medium-sized pubs.

In North West Cambridgeshire, the number of pubs with up to nine employees has reduced from 60 to 45, but the number with between 10 and 49 has increased from 20 to 25.

In 2019, the Peterborough Telegraph reported how the fabled Town to Crown pub crawl had long become a thing of the past, with nine pubs or clubs in New England shutting its doors in recent years.

Pubs in the city which have closed over the past decade include The Carpenters Arms in Stanground, Silver Jubilee in Bretton and The Cherry Tree in Oundle Road.