Pubs are ‘vital social infrastructure’ and should be recognised for their value, a report from WPI Strategy has proposed.

Commissioned by the British Beer & Pub Association, the research paper, titled ‘Pubs as Social Infrastructure: The wellbeing value of connection and moderate drinking’, argues that there are social and wellbeing benefits of pub-based socialising.

The author of the report, Martin Beck, suggests that pubs promote social interaction and combat loneliness, while increasing community participation and strength by boosting civic pride.

He proposes that ‘moderate drinking and wellbeing are positively correlated’, as well as highlighting that pub-based social interaction provides up to £30bn per year in wellbeing-equivalent value.

Although acknowledging that ‘for some individuals, abstaining remains the safest choice’, the report argues that UK alcohol policy ‘draws mainly on evidence of harms from excessive drinking to justify tighter blanket regulation and higher taxes’.

It calls for policymakers to deliver more ‘balanced’ and ‘proportionate’ alcohol policies which account for both the benefits and harms of pubs and moderate drinking.

The report reads: ‘The policy implication is not that the harms associated with excessive drinking, whether in pubs or elsewhere, should be ignored.’

It elaborates that the analysis does not aim to ‘to minimise or discount’ harms linked to excessive alcohol consumption, ‘nor does it suggest that increased consumption would improve wellbeing.’

However, it adds that ‘by systematically counting harms while excluding the wider social value associated with pubs and moderate social drinking, policy appraisal risks presenting an incomplete picture and biasing decisions towards ever more restrictive regulation.’

A Government spokesperson: ‘We have the right economic plan - we're backing hospitality by cutting VAT on family attractions and kids meals this summer, reforming business rates, extending World Cup opening hours, and taking action on the cost of living to boost the sector.’