IT hasn’t been an easy year for bars and clubs.

From national lockdowns and the introduction of a 10pm curfew to the “substantial meal” addendum under the Liverpool City Region’s tier restrictions, nightlife in St Helens has had a lot to contend with.

While some claim the hospitality sector has become a convenient scapegoat for government incompetence, there has been evidence to the contrary.

In particular, a study by John Hopkins University in the US showed a positive correlation between higher spending in restaurants and bars and more Covid infections.

Some bars were allowed to open briefly during the summer of 2020, though subsequent tier restrictions and the most recent lockdowns put them back into a precarious place.

And after the Prime Minister’s announcement on February 22 that nightclubs should be allowed to open from June 21 – data allowing – the question becomes clear: will any clubs survive long enough to see that date?

The situation before the pandemic hit was still an uneasy one. Bar Java on Westfield Street closed its doors in 2019, with Irish bar Punch Tarmey’s following suit in early 2020.

What life used to be like at TANK Bar

Ian Whittaker, owner of TANK Bar on Westfield Street, said the restrictions have severely impacted his business.

Though the bar employed a table service only policy and refused entry to anyone not wearing a face covering, it like so many others was forced to close once more last October.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he commented: “The 10pm curfew really adversely affected business – we’re a small late-night bar primarily known for our live music.

“Without the government grants we’d have closed a long time ago.

“Our regulars have been absolutely brilliant, that was the one thing we were really, really delighted about. They really got behind us and messaged us when we were closed asking how things were. We have a small cohort of regulars but they were very supportive, it was fantastic.

“It’s down to the public to want to come out again, so I think soon there’ll be a massive surge in people wanting to come out because they’re all fed up. If they open all the bars up with social distancing in place, every bar should be as full as they can be – if one bar is at 40% capacity, the other 60% have to go somewhere else so theoretically bars should be as packed as they can be under the restrictions.

“The only way the night-time economy will pick up is when everything gets completely back to normal. [Some pubs] will be fine because they have trade from Monday to Sunday, whereas the bars in the town centre have a very small window of opportunity – we take 80-90 percent of our income over about 10 hours. Certainly the curfew has to go, the substantial meal requirement has to go, and preferably social distancing – but I think we’re quite a way off from that.”

TANK Bar

Now the substantial meal rule and curfew have been scrapped in Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” out of lockdown, but there’s no guarantee they won’t be back.

Melissa Littler, business director of The News Room on Duke Street, said it was “upsetting” to be closed for such a long period.

“We’ve found it very upsetting not seeing out lovely customers for quite some time due to the current circumstances,” Melissa said.

They too received support grants to keep afloat, but there were additional issues with ordering stock that wasn’t able to be sold.

“It’s been disheartening opening and shutting on a few occasions at very short notice due to new restrictions, and each time we have lost stock.”

Even with Perspex screens, table service and social distancing procedures in place, the bar hasn’t been able to open since October.

“We have had regular communication with our regulars – they’ve lifted our spirits talking about fond memories in the bar, and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone back.”

The lack of nightlife has also had some impact on local crime rates – though not in the way some might expect.

Merseyside Police St Helens Area Commander Steve Brizell said: “In St Helens during 2020, a combination of local and national lockdown plus increased local policing in the area saw a decrease in a number of crimes in comparison to 2019. These include a 21.9% reduction in domestic burglaries, a 19% reduction in theft, and a 41% reduction in robbery offences.”

But despite the lack of people out drinking in busy areas of town, like Westfield Street, police also saw a rise in anti-social behaviour, which was up by 36% in St Helens in 2020 compared to the previous year.

“It is hard to measure exactly how Covid-19 and its impact on nightlife has affected these local figures. We do know that these are challenging times, and that serious and violent crime has not stopped as a result of the pandemic. We remain as committed as ever to making our streets safer for everyone,” he continued.

With Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s 2021 budget due to be announced on Wednesday, bars and pubs are calling for additional support to be put in place to keep them afloat.

But many are worried that Sunak has underestimated typical rent rates for pubs, putting them “somewhere between £14,000 and £20,000” per year.

It may indeed be a misrepresentation – in St Helens, The Wheatsheaf pub on Westfield Street is currently available to rent for £32,000 per year.

In other locations, rent can be more than £50,000.

Grassroots movement Campaign for Pubs has established a petition to the Chancellor to urge him to support pubs “directly”.

In an open letter, campaign Chair Paul Crossman suggests measures including increased closure grants until pubs are permitted to open indoor areas with no curfew, reductions to deferred VAT bills and an extension on the moratorium for tenant evictions.

Several local bars have already signed, including Harrington’s Bar & Eatery in Prescot and Knowsley microbrewery Beer EnGin.

Pubs are currently scheduled to be able to open their outdoor areas from April 12, and indoors from May 17. Nightclubs, however, won’t be allowed to open until June 21 at the earliest.