R-Bar and Charles Street Tap Closures Raised in Commons

The closures of R-Bar and Charles Street Tap, two long-running LGBTQ+ bars in Kemptown, were raised in the House of Commons today, and the Business Secretary said he would try to come to Brighton to see the problem for himself.

Chris Ward, the MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, put the question during Business, Innovation and Trade questions on Thursday 15 October. He asked ministers whether they shared his concern about the strain on local pubs and bars, and invited them to the South Coast to meet business owners.

Both venues served Brighton’s LGBTQ+ community and its wider community for more than 20 years, according to Mr Ward’s office.

What Chris Ward asked

“I know the Secretary of State and the Minister enjoy a good pub as much as the next person, so do they share my concern that in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, our pubs and hospitality sector is under real strain and that we’ve recently lost two iconic LGBTQ+ bars, Charles Street Tap and R-Bar,” he said.

“Will they come to the South Coast with me and local businesses to see what more we can do to support our hospitality and pub sector?”

What the Business Secretary said

Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, answered by pointing to the government’s existing measures for hospitality: changes to business rates, and the doubling of the Employment Allowance.

“I do recognise the specific issues in Brighton about what the closure of R-Bar and Charles Street Tap will mean for Brighton’s LGBTQ+ community,” he said.

“The Government does recognise the needs of hospitality, we’ve talked in this session about lower business rates, we’ve also talked about the doubling of employment allowance but of course I want to work with him and I’m grateful to him for raising it directly with me and no one ever turns down a visit to Brighton so we’ll see if we can get that sorted.”

No date for a visit was given. The exchange can be watched on Parliamentlive.tv, from 10:27:38, and the written record appears in Hansard from 16 October.

What he wants changed

Mr Ward has already met pub and club owners in the area to talk about the pressures on the trade after the two closures. His office says he wants a rethink of the tax, licensing and regulatory burden on pubs and bars, more effort to promote local tourism, and more done to celebrate Brighton’s history as a destination for LGBTQ+ visitors. He says he will keep pressing for practical help for hospitality businesses and for protection of the area’s LGBTQ+ cultural heritage.

This is the second time this week he has taken up the pub trade’s case. On Tuesday he backed the Drop the Tap Tax campaign, which wants the lower duty rate on beer poured in pubs raised in the Budget on 28 October.

What it means for you

Nothing changes for pubs and bars yet. A ministerial visit is a promise to try, not a date, and the bigger decisions on beer duty and business rates come with the Chancellor’s Budget on 28 October.

If you run a bar, pub or club in Kemptown or Peacehaven and want to tell us how the year has gone, or if your venue is closing or changing hands, send us your news.