“This year is going to be a fight for survival. If I make it to Christmas I’ll be impressed” says Matthew Alum who runs two pubs in the Colchester area.
He has recently had to hand back a third pub to the brewery because he could no longer afford to it.
“I feel betrayed by the budget. We were promised loads of support, and all we had was another rise in the minimum wage and another rise in business rates.”
He says every time the minimum wage goes up it adds £100,000 to his wage bill. He has already had to increase prices and is now thinking about reducing staff hours to help.
The increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, the phasing out of business rate relief and a rates revaluation has also added to his costs.
“When Labour came to power I was paying £445 a month, now it could be as much as £3,200 a month” he says.
The industry body Hospitality UK estimates that the average business will see its rates rise by 94% over the next three years.
Chief Executive Allen Simpson says: “Every high street is going to feel a massive hit and so will our communities when much-loved venues are forced to close”
Back at the Cricketers pub in Fordham Heath, near Colchester, Mr Allum says the Government must rethink the rates revaluation and cut VAT for hospitality.
“If a Labour MP comes to talk to me about what’s going on, I’ll talk to them – howeve,r until they’re prepared to have a proper conversation with me about what needs to be done i’ll be asking them to leave.
“This isn’t party politics… for me this is betrayal.”
A Treasury spokesman said the budget contained a £4.3bn support package for hospitality.
“This comes on top of our efforts to help more venues offer pavement drinks and put on one-off events, maintaining our cut to alcohol duty on draught pints, and capping Corporation Tax,” he said.
The High Street has been struggling for years but there are many in the hospitality industry who wonder if this year will be make or break.