Brighton’s only community-owned pub at risk of closure
BBC- Brighton’s only community-owned pub The Bevy is at risk of closure
- The owners say the venue is losing about £3,000 a month due to increased fees
- A public meeting to discuss its future is to be held on Saturday
Brighton’s only community-owned pub is at risk of closure amid financial difficulties.
The owners of The Bevy in Moulsecoomb, East Sussex, say the venue is losing about £3,000 a month due to increased utility bills, rent and stock prices.
Warren Carter, the chairman of The Bevy, has called for help from the local community, and warned the pub could face closure within two months without any support.
A public meeting to discuss the future of the site is to be held on Saturday.
On average, The Bevy makes about £22,000 in monthly sales, Mr Carter said.
After the deductions of bills, stock, rent and other costs, it leaves the pub in a £3,000 deficit.
“We have two months left of reserves,” Mr Carter said. “The Bevy has been helping people for the past nine years, and now we’re asking for help.
“We must be able to raise £1,000 a month from people’s small donations. There must be wealthy people out there.”
Lizanne Coomber, manager of The Bevy, added: “We’ve got to get through it. There’s not a choice.
“I’m concerned that without The Bevy, what have a lot of people got. It’s a family here.”
The pub was founded by the local community in 2014 to replace The Bevendean Hotel, which closed four years earlier.
James Alcock, chief executive of Plunkett Foundation, said a fifth of the charity’s 750 community-owned businesses in the UK are at risk of closing or having to reduce services.
“These businesses are not aiming to make a profit,” he said.
“They’re aiming to provide a service and support their local communities.”
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