You asked
I would like to know how many small businesses closed in the the last 5 years, broken down by town, city and region.
We said
Thank you for your request. We produce an annual publication called Business Demography. The latest data available are for 2018. Data for 2019 will be published in November 2020. Data in the publication are taken from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR) and consist of businesses registered with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for Value Added Tax (VAT) and/or Pay as You Earn (PAYE.) Tables 2.1a and 2.1b show business deaths broken down by country, region and district, county and local authority. Businesses that have ceased to trade (identified through de-registration of the administrative units) are referred to as business deaths. The location shown in the publication is based on the registered head office address. If a large business with multiple sites all over the country closes, this will show as one business death based at the address of the head office.
If you require more specific data, then please contact our data service team by e-mailing idbrdas@ons.gov.uk. They will be able to advise you concerning bespoke analyses: this service may be chargeable but please contact the team and they will be able to advise you.