London’s ‘most f***ed pubs’ have officially been revealed, with one popular local facing a more than 600% increase in business rates.
The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green, east London, has been rated the ‘most f***ed’ out of all venues in the capital as they are set to see a 632.1% increase in rateable value.
This will lead to an extra £70,800 per year, and is more than six times what other businesses in the area are facing, according to new rating website ismypubf***ed.com.
Owner Andy Kerr told Metro: ‘It is absolutely crazy. We have been trading for 11 years and I won’t lie we are very popular. At weekends we are packed.
‘But how can I possibly afford this? I’ll have no choice but to close the business – I will hardly be able to sell it because who on earth would want to buy with the rates so high?’
Rateable value is measured based on a building’s size and location, and determines how much the owner needs to pay in rates.
London's 'most f***ed' pubs revealed
- The Sun Tavern, Bethnal Green – 632.1% increase
- The Spread Eagle, Wandsworth – 622.4% increase
- Nags Head Peckham, Peckham – 613.3% increase
- The Bank of Friendship, Highbury – 537.8% increase
- The Clarence Tavern, Stoke Newington – 514% increase
- The Pelton Arms, Greenwich – 479% increase
- The Village Green, Muswell Hill – 469.2% increase
- The Wickham Arms, Brockley – 451.5%
- The Beaten Docket, Cricklewood – 431.3% increase
- The Dog and Bell, Deptford – 425% increase
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is ‘particuarly concerned’ about the effect the rise of business rates will have on pubs.
And in April, Covid-era relief will officially end and sites will be revalued if they haven’t already.
But Andy said his building can only seat 60 people, and has significantly smaller square footage compared to others in the area who are not seeing anywhere near as big an increase.
In east London, the pub facing the second highest rate increase is the Fox and Hounds, with a 362.2% jump.
Latest London news
- Protester tears down Iranian flag outside London embassy
- Nicolas Cage film blocked by East London council over Nazi flag concerns
- London’s murder rate drops to lowest in a decade after organised crime gang blitz
To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro's London news hub.
But this is still nearly half of what Andy is now scrambling to afford.
He said: ‘No one has come out to see me or talk to me about the increases, so I don’t understand why ours has gone up so much.
‘We are so busy we even would have been able to afford it being doubled. But we are fortunate in that respect, as a lot of other places are living hand to mouth.’
The website has taken official data from the Valuation Office Agency to see who has the largest increases to create the ‘F***ed Pub Index’ (FPI).
They compared the current 2023 Rating List with the 2026 Draft Rating List – set to be brought in in 2026 – to see who has the highest increases.
If a pub will see a more than 200% increase, they will be given the ‘Absolutely F***ed status’ on the FPI.
And if a pub is seeing a 100-200% jump, they will be categorised as ‘F***ed’, and and 50-100% they are deemed to be ‘Struggling’.
It comes as a new poll from Survation for the UK Spirits Alliance revealed that nearly three in ten pubs (equivalent to around 11,000 venues across the UK) believe they may not survive next year.
Meanwhile the British Beer and Pub Association warned the Chancellor pubs are at tipping point, with one predicted to close every day this year.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
