As we step into the new year, many of us have made plans, resolutions and are looking ahead with cautious optimism. For pubs and traditional clubs across Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire, though, 2026 feels less like a fresh start and more like a cliff edge. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the situation our pub, bars and clubs are confronted with this year.
At the same time, 2026 marks something very special for us as a branch. In November 1976 the first Wolverhampton CAMRA branch meeting was held. That makes 2026 our 50th year of campaigning for real ale and real pubs in this area.
Half a century on, the job is far from finished – in fact, it may be more urgent than ever.
Unprecedented pressure in 2026
Pubs have always had ups and downs, but the pressures they face now are unlike anything we have seen in those 50 years:
- Higher energy and supplier costs
- Staff shortages and wage pressures
- Changing drinking habits and more people socialising at home
- Debt and deferred costs from the pandemic years
On top of all that, business rates are set to tighten the screw further.
Many pubs benefitted from the national Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme, which knocked 75% off business rates bills up to March 2025.
From April 2025, that support dropped to 40% for the 2025–26 billing year, still capped at £110,000 per business.
Unless the Government changes course, the scheme then ends on 31 March 2026, meaning many pubs could see a dramatic jump in their rates bill from April 2026.
For pubs already “just about managing”, that combination of reduced relief and rising costs could easily be the final straw.
A branch with fifty years of history
When Wolverhampton CAMRA first met in 1976, our aims were simple: defend traditional beer, support good pubs and give drinkers a voice.
Since then our branch has:
- Contributed to the Good Beer Guide every year
- Run beer festivals and social events that showcase local breweries and venues
- Supported community campaigns to save pubs from closure or unsuitable development
- Celebrated excellence through our City and South Staffordshire Pub of the Year and Club of the Year awards
We are proud of that record. But anniversaries are not just about looking back – they are about deciding what to do next.
Making 2026 a campaigning year
For our 50th year we want Wolverhampton CAMRA to be louder, more visible and more useful to pubs than ever.
Our aim for 2026 is simple:
To make this a campaigning year for pubs across Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire – highlighting the pressures they face, and working with others to look for practical solutions.
That will mean:
- Working with pubs and clubs
Listening to licensees about business rates, energy, rents, beer choice and everything else that affects their viability – and helping get those stories heard locally and nationally. - Engaging MPs and councillors – in a non-party-political way
CAMRA is strictly independent of party politics, but we are not neutral about pubs. We want to work with any MP or councillor who is willing to champion fairer business rates for pubs, defend community locals and support guest beer choice. - Talking to the wider public
Using our website, BEERWOLF, social media and events to explain, in plain English, why pubs matter and what is at stake if we lose them – especially as relief is cut in the run-up to April 2026. - Backing national CAMRA campaigns
Supporting calls for a fairer business rates system for pubs and for measures such as a Guest Beer Agreement to give tied tenants more freedom to stock local and independent beers.
How members and drinkers can help
We cannot do any of this without our members – and without the people who simply love their local.
Here are some practical ways to get involved this year:
- Use your local, especially in the quieter months. A steady January and February can genuinely make the difference between survival and closure.
- Tell us what is happening. If your local pub is struggling, under threat, or doing something positive that deserves recognition, let the branch know.
- Help us campaign. That might mean sharing social media posts, writing to your MP about business rates, or joining in with surveys and local case studies.
- Volunteer. From BEERWOLF to beer festivals, pub surveying to social media, extra hands always help us to shout louder for pubs.
Looking ahead – and raising a glass
We would much rather spend our 50th year celebrating thriving pubs than counting up closures.
Over the coming months you will see more campaigning content from Wolverhampton CAMRA: information about business rates and other pressures, spotlights on local pubs, and updates on any political support we receive.
Our message is simple:
- Pubs and clubs are essential community spaces, not just businesses.
- The next couple of years – as business rates support is scaled back and removed – could be critical for many of them.
- As we enter our 50th year as a branch, we are determined to stand up for them.
If you care about real ale, real cider and real pubs in Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire, we hope you will stand with us – in the bar, in the branch, and in the campaign.
Here’s to our locals, and to making 2026 – our 50th year as a branch, a year where their voices are heard.
