A number of major pub operators have announced they will be increasing the price of a pint by at least 10p next month, in response to rising costs brought about by the Chancellor’s budgetary measures.

Major UK pub operators including M&Bs, Fuller’s, Marstons, Shepherd Neame, JD Wetherspoon and Young’s have confirmed they will add 10p to the price of every pint this April, in order to mitigate the impact of millions of pounds worth of cost increases.

The move comes as UKHospitality predicts the average price of a pint could rise by six to eight percent across the country, with pubs attempting to balance the books in the face of changes to wages and NICs which come into effect next month.

“With the national living wage set to rise 6.7 percent and national insurance contributions set to rise 1.2 percent, pubs face millions in extra costs from April,” reported City AM.

“The lower threshold for NICs, which now pulls the wages of part-time workers into the tax bracket, will also hit the labour-intensive and part-time-reliant hospitality sector harder than others. Businesses across the board have said they will raise prices and cut investment to deal with the pressures.”

M&Bs, Fuller’s, Marstons and Shepherd Neame have told various press outlets that the price of a pint will rise by 10p across their estate, with Jonathan Neame stating the Budget has “undermined business and consumer confidence in the short term.”

Faced with similar challenges, Wetherspoon has announced a 15p price rise after chair Tim Martin said the company’s outgoings would increase by £1.2m per week.

“Wetherspoons has always tried to remain as competitive as possible,” said Martin. “We hope that our prices will still be reasonable in spite of these increases.”

Meanwhile Young’s will add 20p to its drinks prices next month, with CEO Simon Dodd reporting the heritage pub company now faces an additional £11m in annual costs.