The British brewing industry in the Midlands was celebrated in the Houses of Parliament yesterday at the Midlands Beer & Pub Association’s (MBPA) inaugural parliamentary reception.
MPs from, the region met with key figures in the Midlands brewing industry organised in conjunction with the British Beer & Pub Association.
The Midlands is Britain’s key brewing region; with 152,000 jobs dependent on the sector in the east and west Midlands. The region’s 253 brewers and 8,863 pubs contribute an astonishing £4.5 billion to the Midlands economy, every year.
Parliamentarians were treated to a taste of world famous beers from all over the Midlands, such as Hook Norton’s Hooky, Everards’ Tiger, Titanic’s Plum Porter, Black Country Ales’ Fireside, Holden’s Golden Glow, Marston’s Pedigree New World Pale Ale, Hobson’s Shropshire Stout, Bateman’s Bohemian Brews and Charles Wells’ DNA.
MP for Dudley North, Ian Austin MP, called on fellow parliamentarians to support this important regional industry, noting the four breweries and £30.8 million the industry contributes to the local economy in his own constituency.
As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, Andrew Griffiths, MP for Burton, also spoke on the importance of the industry in his constituency and highlighted his support for a further beer duty cut ‘hat-trick’ in the Budget and urged his fellow MPs to sign the related Early Day Motion 625.
Giles Kendall, Chairman of the MBPA, told Midlands MPs:
“After two beer duty cuts, it’s finally looking up for the brewing industry.
“But, we need to keep the momentum going and we need a historic, third beer duty cut in the Budget: to secure jobs, keep pints affordable and support pubs in the Midlands.”
BBPA Chief Executive Brigid Simmonds comments:
“Beer is a Midlands success story; a manufacturing success story and politically important too. Our recent polling by YouGov found that a staggering 86 per cent of voters wanted to see a reduction or freeze in taxes on pubs.”
For further information please contact:
Neil Williams, Head of Media Tel: (020) 7627 9156 / 07974 249 779
Rebekah Kendrick, Communications & Campaigns Officer Tel: (020) 7627 9155
Note to editors:
To find out the impact of beer and pubs, on jobs and the economy in YOUR area, visit www.beerandpubjobs.co.uk
For the new joint BBPA, SIBA, CAMRA, Pubs of Ulster ‘Beer Story – Facts on Tap’ leaflet and infographics, see http://www.beerandpub.com/thebeerstory
More on the economic benefits of the two beer duty cuts in the BBPA’s Cheers 2014 report here.
Beer, pubs and Budget 2015 – key facts:
- The beer and pub sector supports 870,000 UK jobs – 44 per cent are under 25s
- 82 per cent of the beer sold in Britain is made in Britain
- One job in brewing generates 18 jobs, in pubs, one in agriculture, one in the supply chain and one in retail.
- Pubs rely on beer sales – seven in every ten pub drinks sold is beer.
- Under the beer duty escalator (2008-2013) beer tax rose by 42 per cent. During this period, 7,000 pubs closed and 58,000 jobs were lost.
- The two, one penny beer duty cuts have secured 16,000 jobs.
- After years of above inflation tax rises, beer taxes are still too high. Britons pay 40 per cent of all EU beer duties, but drink just 12 per cent of the beer.
- Beer prices increases in pubs are at their lowest since the 1980s.
The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain’s brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers’ Society in 1904. Our members account for some 90 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation’s pubs.
Neil Williams
Head of Media
British Beer & Pub Association
British Beer & Pub Association
Ground Floor
Brewers’ Hall
Aldermanbury Square
London
EC2V 7HR