John Swinney’s local pub is set to close down after concerns about eye-watering increases to its business rates bill.
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pub → set → bill
The operator of Brown and Blacks, in Scone, Perthshire, has served her notice following concerns about the impact of its business rates revaluation and soaring energy costs.
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operator → serve → revaluation
The pub is the closest to Mr Swinney’s family home but he previously snubbed a call to attend talks with its landlord Katie Long.
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he → snub → landlord
Under the latest revaluation, the rateable value of the pub, which employs 26 staff, soared from £19,900 to £52,700.
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which → employ → 52,700
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, who has highlighted the threat to the pub’s future at First Minister’s Questions, said: ‘It’s a sad day and a difficult decision for Katie Long who worked tirelessly to transform a derelict pub into a thriving community hub which provides many jobs.
‘I hope that someone will take on the pub in John Swinney’s back yard.
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someone → highlight → yard
But this sorry development is a stark example of the cost of doing business under the SNP government.
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development → do → government
‘Hospitality businesses are being hammered by crippling new rates and the entire system must be fixed as a matter of urgency.’
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system → hammer → urgency
The Brown and Blacks will close, although it is hoped that another operator will take on the premises under a new name.
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operator → close → name
John Swinney enjoying a pint at Euro 2024 - but he won't be ordering a quick one at his local pub after it closed in the face of soaring business rates
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it → enjoy → rates
Ms Long attended First Minister’s Questions in March after Mr Swinney failed to respond to an invitation to visit her pub to hear about the impact of the rates revaluation.
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Swinney → attend → revaluation
He also rejected an invitation from Mr Findlay to meet Ms Long at a nearby watering hole in Edinburgh following FMQs.
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He → reject → FMQs
In a video message, Ms Long said that she has served her notice to the brewery that owns the pub.
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that → say → pub
She said it ‘was not an easy decision at all’ and that ‘I feel like the Government has probably forced my hand on this’ following soaring electricity costs and the rates rise, which she said also had knock-on implications for other fees like sports TV subscriptions.
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she → say → subscriptions
She said: ‘I simply can’t digest these costs, they are just too high.
‘As I said, it really hasn’t been an easy decision.’
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it → say → costs
She added she is ‘very sad’ to be leaving the pub, which she said ‘has been my third child for a number of years’, and that she is hopeful that someone else will take over the premises in January.
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someone → add → January
It comes as a new study by the Punters Page revealed that more than one in five Scottish pubs have closed their doors over a 15-year period.
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pubs → come → period
The number of pubs north of the Border has fallen from 3,215 in 2010 to 2,565 in 2025.
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number → fall → 2025
East Ayrshire has lost 50 per cent of its bars, making it the council with the equal biggest percentage fall of any in Britain along with South Holland, in Lincolnshire.
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it → lose → Lincolnshire
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay highlighted the threat to Brown and Blacks in Scone, Perthshire
South Ayrshire had a closure rate of 44 per cent, while the Scottish Borders had 40 per cent and Moray 36 per cent.
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Borders → highlight → cent
The Scottish Hospitality Group said: ‘The cumulative impact of taxation both from the Westminster government and the Scottish government is all contributing to the amount of closures we see, given that we have a 20 per cent VAT rate compared to 10 per cent in Europe and less.
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we → say → Europe
‘This is why we are calling on the government to reduce the VAT rate.
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we → call → rate
Earlier this year, Ms Long had urged the First Minister to visit her to ‘hear first-hand about the crisis facing Scottish pubs like mine’.
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Long → urge → mine
After her case was raised at First Minister’s Questions in March, Ms Long said: ‘Hospitality is on its knees, it really is, and we need some sort of help.’
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we → raise → help
She said Mr Swinney has never been in her bar in 12 years of operating it, despite it being less than three miles from his home, and had urged him to meet her to discuss the issue.
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it → say → issue
During First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said the failure to meet Ms Long is ‘another example of John Swinney’s high-handed approach to business’.
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failure → say → business
Mr Swinney replied: ‘I’m very familiar with the case Mr Findlay puts to me and of course there will be benefits in that case of the Government’s transitional relief system that will be put in place.’
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that → reply → place
The Aporia
