Britain Unveils £61 Million Fund to Help Communities Buy Threatened Pubs

Britain’s Campaign for Real Ale has welcomed a new £61 million government fund aimed at helping community groups buy pubs and other local assets at risk of being sold, converted or demolished, calling the measure a potentially important boost for venues under pressure.

The fund, announced this week by Communities Secretary Steve Reed, is called the Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund. According to the government, it is intended to help communities take ownership of valued local assets including pubs, clubs and community centers, with the goal of reversing the decline of shared public spaces and supporting social connection.

CAMRA said the program could give community groups a path to take over pubs that might otherwise disappear. The organization has been pressing the government to restore support for community purchases after the previous Community Ownership Fund was scrapped in 2024.

Paul Ainsworth, CAMRA’s national planning policy adviser, said the pace of new community-owned pub openings had slowed noticeably over the past year. He linked that slowdown to the end of the earlier fund, which he said had made it harder for local residents to raise enough money to save their pub.

“Without suitable and accessible funding, many community groups were simply priced out of trying to save their local from oblivion,” Ainsworth said. He added that while CAMRA is still waiting for full details of the new scheme, the announcement appears likely to provide a lifeline for pubs facing closure or conversion.

The move matters beyond property policy because pubs remain a central sales channel for beer and other drinks in Britain. If more threatened venues stay open through community ownership, that could help preserve on-trade demand and bring some stability for brewers, distributors and suppliers that depend on pub trade.

CAMRA also framed the issue as one of local economic health as well as social life. Ainsworth said thriving communities and local economies depend on pubs not just surviving but continuing to operate successfully, and he described community ownership as a way to keep pubs at the center of neighborhood life for the long term.

The announcement comes as many British pubs continue to face financial strain from rising costs and changing market conditions. In that environment, access to public funding can be decisive for communities trying to prevent a pub from being lost to redevelopment or permanent closure.

Steve Reed said the new fund would “empower communities to take ownership of valued local assets such as pubs, clubs and community centres,” presenting it as part of a broader effort to protect places where people gather. For campaigners focused on pub preservation, the key question now is how quickly the money can be accessed and whether the scheme will be flexible enough for local groups competing in fast-moving property sales.