OUR pubs are the beating heart of our communities. They're where we unwind, catch up with friends, enjoy a good meal, pour out our hearts, organise community events and warm up after a soggy hike.

No one does pubs quite like Brits. And definitely no one does them like we do in Devon. But they're under threat.

Soaring energy and water prices are swallowing up what little profit many pubs make. And recently, small businesses have faced significant increases in National Insurance contributions, the minimum wage and the requirement to pay sick pay from day one.

To be clear, better pay and sick pay are brilliant things for workers.

We all deserve to earn enough to pay our bills, and to be able to afford time off when we're ill.

But while huge corporations like Amazon and Tesco can absorb these costs from their enormous profits, small and independent businesses have been given far less support to manage them.

Too many pubs in our area are up for sale, with publicans retiring or simply exhausted from trying to make ends meet. And when a pub closes, it's often gone forever.

We know that only too well in Chulmleigh, where I'm the County Councillor.

Once, there were 16 public houses here. Today, there are just two.

In a rural area like ours, having places where people can come together, share food, drink and stories is absolutely vital.

This Labour government doesn't always understand the realities of life in the countryside. But it needs to wake up to the pressures facing our pubs and small businesses.

As your MP for Central Devon, I would fight to make sure their voices are heard in Westminster and push for the support they need to survive and thrive.

We cannot build strong, cohesive and compassionate communities without places where people can come together. And we cannot afford to lose any more of our pubs.

Ed Tyldesley, parliamentary candidate for Central Devon Central Devon Liberal Democrats