Labour’s business rates bombshell will force snooker clubs across Britain to close their doors, the sport’s governing body chief has warned. Jason Ferguson, who has led World Snooker for 15 years, issued the grim prediction as the prestigious Masters tournament gets underway at Alexandra Palace.
His intervention comes as hundreds of pubs, clubs and hospitality venues face ruin after the Government announced plans to end business rate support which leaves thousands staring at skyrocketing bills. Some snooker clubs have been told their rates could surge by an eye-watering 167%, increases that owners say will prove fatal.
Mr Ferguson, 56, said he feared for the future of clubs that form the bedrock of the sport which has produced legends like Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry. He said snooker venues were “not doing as well” as other businesses and many were only “hanging in there” as costs spiral.
Mr Ferguson said: “I do fear for the future of snooker clubs in this country.”
He added: “We’re starting to see the effects of rate increases. We’ve had quite a few clubs come to us and say ‘look our rates have gone up significantly. It was already hard, now it’s even harder’.”
The sporting chief called for a “change in attitudes towards snooker clubs,” urging officials to stop viewing them as the same as “an office block, or a nightclub, or a retail unit.” His warning was echoed by club owners on the front line who say the rate rises could deliver a knockout blow to their business.
Dan Kirkland, owner of the Spot On Snooker Club in Sheffield, a club that has welcomed legends including Jimmy White and Dennis Taylor through its doors, said the changes would be “really harmful.”
He blasted Chancellor Rachel Reeves for claiming she would reduce rates when “that’s just the opposite of what’s happening.” Mr Kirkland said the uncertainty was crippling clubs trying to plan for the future.
He said: “We just don’t know, and I don’t know what the rates will be the year after next either.”
The Sheffield club owner painted a devastating picture of what closures would mean for communities. He said: “This is irreversible damage to your communities. You will see snooker clubs, you’ll see pubs, you’ll see leisure facilities that are important for people’s wellbeing and communities, close.”
Mr Kirkland revealed he opens his club at 9am so elderly customers can escape loneliness and enjoy a game with friends rather than sitting at home watching daytime TV. In a heartbreaking example of the community role clubs play, he said: “I’ve got a homeless man who comes in who I give a couple of pounds to on a table and let him play.
“Do I tell them I’m not going to open until 5pm because I don’t make any money until then?”
He added: “I’ve reduced as many costs as I can within the business and the club.”
Conservative MP Sir Gavin Williamson warned Labour must act urgently to prevent the crippling tax hikes wiping out clubs across the snooker world. He said: “Unless action is taken and quickly, we’re going to be seeing so many snooker clubs close.
“The Chancellor’s actions are going to see so many clubs which are the heart of the community being shut through a combination of dramatically higher business rates and the impact of her national insurance increases.
“She needs to reverse this policy and do it quickly.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport pointed to a written response from sports minister Stephanie Peacock in December, who said the Government was “committed” to supporting grassroots sports clubs.
