Latest news with #Stag
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Our local shuttered brewery tells the story of Labour's assault on small businesses
With the sunlight streaming into his office, Jonathan Price is doing his best to look cheerful. It's almost 20 years since he purchased Exmoor Ale, a brewery that sat at the peak of the little town of Wiveliscombe in west Somerset, just a few rolling hills away from our home. On top of the filing cabinets and on shelves are the results of his endeavours, bottles of Gold, Stag, Beast and, my favourite, original Exmoor ale, a gloriously smooth session beer. But today the steady wheel of the brewing cycle, the mashing, boiling, cooling and fermenting, is grinding to a halt. 'We've stopped brewing,' he tells me. 'The last beer is coming out of the tanks now and going into the casks.' The brewery is closing and the shutters will go up on an operation that has been in Wiveliscombe since 1979. Exmoor Ale is one of the gems of our local town, a brewing firm that hones the waters off the wilds of the moorlands of west Somerset and north Devon. I fell in love with this small town, known locally as Wivey, when we moved here some four years ago as, in spite of its small size, it held its own against the larger towns and cities of the South West maintaining a butcher's, a good pub, a restaurant, small hotel, a hardware store, a deli, a barber shop and a gun room. But many of these small businesses have struggled, fighting to stay afloat in the wake of Covid, social change and the latest threat, a Labour Government. The latter, specifically, raising the rate of employer National Insurance contributions, which came into effect some four weeks ago, from 13.8 to 15 per cent. Price sent a message on Wednesday this week to his customers. 'Sadly, like many breweries, we have faced some challenging times recently due to the knock-on effects of Covid-19, inflation, market changes and most recently, tax increases. This has meant we need to restructure and close the brewery.' I ask him about those tax increases. 'It's the final straw,' he replies. And indeed it's been the final straw for many other British breweries this year who similarly have had to give employees their P45s and let their vast brewing vats run dry. Recent figures from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) show that there were 1,715 independent breweries at the start of 2025, compared with 1,815 in January 2024. And, reports SIBA, the drop in overall brewery numbers over the last 12 months is much higher than in recent years. According to SIBA's chief executive Andy Slee, 'The issue for small independent breweries is lack of access to market and rising costs, making it incredibly difficult to remain profitable. Indie brewers can't sell into enough of their local pubs and make enough of a profit to remain viable.' It doesn't help, of course, that their customers are disappearing as pubs continue to close at an average rate of more than 34 each month. It's indicative of the crisis in the hospitality industry. Businesses are in peril. Many – restaurants, cafes and pubs – are still paying off debts from Covid, managing an ongoing staffing crisis and grappling with surging costs. And hospitality chiefs have been begging for help. Yet what was Labour's answer to their cries, their solution to assist the UK's third largest employer, responsible for the jobs of some three million people? In last year's autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves upped employer NICs and increased the national living wage. As trade body Hospitality UK's boss Kate Nicholls put it, the policies, 'left hospitality owners with a sleepless night as they came to terms with the enormous cost they will have to bear from April onwards.' She added: 'The new cost of employing core members of staff is eye-watering – an increase of at least £2,500 [which] is far, far beyond anyone's worst case scenario.' The Government also landed £154 million of extra annual costs on brewers with what's called EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), basically additional packaging charges. This adds 5p per bottle, another little stinger for struggling pubs whose closure, The British Beer and Pub Association points out, 'last year equated to more than 4,500 job losses'. Thus Labour's policies are now reaping what they sowed. Small businesses such as Exmoor Ale must sip the last drops of their kegs and lock the doors. The Socialist robots spew out their heads-in-the-sands mantras: 'fixing foundations… championing Britain as the best place to grow a business… going further and faster to tackle barriers to investment.' Yet their actual policies, as you would expect from Marxist huggers, swell the public sector and deter entrepreneurs. 'Existing and looming eye-watering business rates and taxes undermines growth and investment which hurts local jobs, communities, and the wider economy,' James Hawkins of the Beer and Pub Association tells me. Starmer, Reeves and Co can spout their disingenuous catchphrases but what they're actually doing is putting a sign above Britain that reads, 'Closing down soon'. As Jonathan Price chats in his office, behind him is a map of Britain with pins indicating the locations of his many customers. He assures me that all is not lost. 'We're going to work with a brewer, Hog's Back, in Surrey. It's an innovative solution to keep the brand alive.' Maybe, but I'm not convinced the water of Surrey is a patch on that of Exmoor. And if I'm going to have a p--s-up in a brewery, I'd rather it was in Wivey than Guildford. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Our local shuttered brewery tells the story of Labour's assault on small businesses
With the sunlight streaming into his office, Jonathan Price is doing his best to look cheerful. It's almost 20 years since he purchased Exmoor Ale, a brewery that sat at the peak of the little town of Wiveliscombe in west Somerset, just a few rolling hills away from our home. On top of the filing cabinets and on shelves are the results of his endeavours, bottles of Gold, Stag, Beast and, my favourite, original Exmoor ale, a gloriously smooth session beer. But today the steady wheel of the brewing cycle, the mashing, boiling, cooling and fermenting, is grinding to a halt. 'We've stopped brewing,' he tells me. 'The last beer is coming out of the tanks now and going into the casks.' The brewery is closing and the shutters will go up on an operation that has been in Wiveliscombe since 1979. Exmoor Ale is one of the gems of our local town, a brewing firm that hones the waters off the wilds of the moorlands of west Somerset and north Devon. I fell in love with this small town, known locally as Wivey, when we moved here some four years ago as, in spite of its small size, it held its own against the larger towns and cities of the South West maintaining a butcher's, a good pub, a restaurant, small hotel, a hardware store, a deli, a barber shop and a gun room. But many of these small businesses have struggled, fighting to stay afloat in the wake of Covid, social change and the latest threat, a Labour Government. The latter, specifically, raising the rate of employer National Insurance contributions, which came into effect some four weeks ago, from 13.8 to 15 per cent. Price sent a message on Wednesday this week to his customers. 'Sadly, like many breweries, we have faced some challenging times recently due to the knock-on effects of Covid-19, inflation, market changes and most recently, tax increases. This has meant we need to restructure and close the brewery.' I ask him about those tax increases. 'It's the final straw,' he replies. And indeed it's been the final straw for many other British breweries this year who similarly have had to give employees their P45s and let their vast brewing vats run dry. Recent figures from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) show that there were 1,715 independent breweries at the start of 2025, compared with 1,815 in January 2024. And, reports SIBA, the drop in overall brewery numbers over the last 12 months is much higher than in recent years. According to SIBA's chief executive Andy Slee, 'The issue for small independent breweries is lack of access to market and rising costs, making it incredibly difficult to remain profitable. Indie brewers can't sell into enough of their local pubs and make enough of a profit to remain viable.' It doesn't help, of course, that their customers are disappearing as pubs continue to close at an average rate of more than 34 each month. It's indicative of the crisis in the hospitality industry. Businesses are in peril. Many – restaurants, cafes and pubs – are still paying off debts from Covid, managing an ongoing staffing crisis and grappling with surging costs. And hospitality chiefs have been begging for help. Yet what was Labour's answer to their cries, their solution to assist the UK's third largest employer, responsible for the jobs of some three million people? In last year's autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves upped employer NICs and increased the national living wage. As trade body Hospitality UK's boss Kate Nicholls put it, the policies, 'left hospitality owners with a sleepless night as they came to terms with the enormous cost they will have to bear from April onwards.' She added: 'The new cost of employing core members of staff is eye-watering – an increase of at least £2,500 [which] is far, far beyond anyone's worst case scenario.' The Government also landed £154 million of extra annual costs on brewers with what's called EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), basically additional packaging charges. This adds 5p per bottle, another little stinger for struggling pubs whose closure, The British Beer and Pub Association points out, 'last year equated to more than 4,500 job losses'. Thus Labour's policies are now reaping what they sowed. Small businesses such as Exmoor Ale must sip the last drops of their kegs and lock the doors. The Socialist robots spew out their heads-in-the-sands mantras: ' fixing foundations … championing Britain as the best place to grow a business… going further and faster to tackle barriers to investment.' Yet their actual policies, as you would expect from Marxist huggers, swell the public sector and deter entrepreneurs. 'Existing and looming eye-watering business rates and taxes undermines growth and investment which hurts local jobs, communities, and the wider economy,' James Hawkins of the Beer and Pub Association tells me. Starmer, Reeves and Co can spout their disingenuous catchphrases but what they're actually doing is putting a sign above Britain that reads, 'Closing down soon'. As Jonathan Price chats in his office, behind him is a map of Britain with pins indicating the locations of his many customers. He assures me that all is not lost. 'We're going to work with a brewer, Hog's Back, in Surrey. It's an innovative solution to keep the brand alive.'
Metro
01-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
Beloved brewery that supplies beer all over Britain to close after 40 years
One of Britain's longest-running breweries will be closing its factory after 40 years. Exmoor Ales has been supplying pints to pubs from its factory in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, since 1979. But the firm's managing director, Jonathan Price, announced this week that the company will be moving production to the Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey. Price blamed Covid, sky-high inflation and tax increases for the closure. 'This has meant we need to restructure and close the brewery,' he told the Somerset County Gazette. He added: 'Exmoor Ales has a strong following of loyal drinkers built up over more than 40 years, so we've been looking for a solution that will allow us to continue employing people locally and be in charge of our own sales and future.' Four staff members have lost their jobs in the move. The brewer's shop on Old Brewery Road will remain open, selling popular brews like Gold, Stag, Beast and Fox. The new Surrey microbrewery, some 120 miles from the original site, will use the same recipes and yeast to maintain the brand. Distribution will continue from Wiveliscombe, while the Guildford-based Hogs Back will help with national sales. While it took decades for foreign global brewers to get their bottles and cans on British pub menus, they now represent 92% of the UK beer market, Price said. These beer giants can endure many of the financial troubles that cause local breweries to fold, as well as have better access to pubs. Price isn't alone. In only a year, Britain lost 100 breweries, from 1,815 at the start of 2024 to 1,715 this January, according to the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) UK Brewery Tracker. Wiveliscombe, a town of only 2,900 people, was once a thriving brewery town. With the shutdown of Exmoor Ales and Nuttycombe this year and the Cotleigh Brewery in 2021, Black Bear Brewery is one of the last remaining Wiveliscombe breweries. Stressing that the move to Surrey is a 'partnership', not a 'takeover', Price added that it doesn't mean last orders for the brewery. 'It's a rotten day for me as the owner of the business, but we'll still be here and it isn't beyond the bounds of possibility that we might brew again in Wiveliscombe, but probably on a smaller scale,' Price said. Loyal fans of Exmoor Ales' said the booze business' closure is 'worrying'. More Trending 'So farewell @exmoorales. Another brewery bites the dust. Big Beer is really starting to flex its muscles,' posted one user on X. Another customer, Graham Brown, added: 'Lovely brewery with some cracking beers, another great loss to the industry.' Exmoor Ales, formerly the Golden Hill Brewery, is a well-known fixture of the town for its Victorian tower and chimney. It was founded by Jim Laker in 1979 before Price took the helm in 2006. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Much-loved pottery firm suddenly closes after 128 years MORE: Major store set to close 255 locations by next week – see full list MORE: Much-loved bakers to close all sites for good tomorrow
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Parents to protest over North Yorkshire school transport changes
Campaigners have vowed to protest outside a key council meeting examining planned changes to home-to-school transport, claiming parents had been "gagged" from speaking at the Yorkshire Council voted last year to only pay for transport to a child's nearest school, rather than using school catchment areas as had previously of the School Transport Action Group (Stag) said while they welcomed the extraordinary meeting next month, they were "shocked and disappointed" to hear they would not be allowed Khan, the council's assistant chief executive for legal and democratic services, said extraordinary meetings did "not allow for public questions". The council has said it hoped the policy - due to come into effect in September - would deliver savings of up to £3m a authority added that its school transport costs were significantly higher than those faced by other councils due to North Yorkshire's geography. Parents in rural areas of the county have previously told the BBC the change could potentially put their children's safety at risk due to the state of roads to the nearest school at times of poor weather during the winter. 'Refused to listen' A spokesperson for Stag, which was formed to oppose the new policy, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Gagging the public feels totally undemocratic. It will not make for a better debate or increase the chance of a well-informed decision being made - quite the opposite."The whole problem with this policy is that the officers driving it and the councillors who backed it have refused to listen to the concerns of parents from the very start."Members of the group promised to hold a protest outside the venue for the meeting, and invited "concerned members of the public" to join. Responding, Mr Khan said: "We can reassure residents their views have been heard through consultations, petitions and at previous public meetings."However, he added: "In line with our constitution, extraordinary meetings do not allow for public questions, but provide councillors with the opportunity to debate matters on the agenda."Members of the public are, as always, encouraged to contact their local councillor to share their views, which can be raised as part of the debate."Opposition councillors had requested the extraordinary meeting, due to be held at 10:00 BST on 21 May at County Hall in Northallerton, amid concerns over the impact of the changes on families and schools. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
17-02-2025
- BBC News
Chorley: Man charged with manslaughter of 57-year-old man
A man been charged with manslaughter after another man was found dead at his home during the body of Paul Ainscough, 57, was discovered at a property in Hollinshead Street, Chorley, Lancashire, on 24 part of the investigation, police appealed for help from people who had been in the Stag pub in Leyland two days earlier. Liam Slack, 34, from Langton Brow, in Eccleston, is set to appear before Preston Magistrates on 13 March. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
