Call for united pub trade

The pub trade must present a more united front to Government if it wants its voice heard, delegates at The Publican Conference were told.

Trade leaders and industry experts at the Executive Conference last Thursday called for a stronger lobby effort to help fight back against the recent barrage of criticism and bad press.

Speaking during a key debate on smoking, Laurel chief executive Ian Payne admitted that the industry's lobbying efforts had in the past been undermined by fragmentation and inconsistency. "We don't speak with one voice," he added.

During the Question Time session, chaired by the BBC's Peter Sissons, Bob Ivell, former head of S&N's pub business, said: "One of the most important questions is do we represent ourselves as well as we should? We are a bit tame at times and we have to speak much more with one voice and be much more proactive.

"We need to be more coordinated and be on the front foot not the back foot all the time whether that be on the issue of smoking or licensing or whatever."

His views were backed up by Mark Angela, the chief executive of Greene King Pub Company, who added: "We as an industry feel very much under the kosh at the moment and we don't seem to be very good at putting our own views across. We are a very powerful lobby and I think sometimes we have a tendency to underestimate that."

He called for pub operators to pool funds to pay for a new more cohesive lobby effort. "We need to pull together a lot tighter - the fact we have so many associations representing us makes it very difficult to speak with one voice," he added.

"It is very difficult to get any consensus and I believe we need to develop and fund a much more consistent lobby."

However, Ted Tuppen, Chief Executive of Enterprise Inns and Chairman of key trade lobby group the British Beer and Pub Association, warned that successful lobbying was not simply about who could shout the loudest.

"I do take issue with the idea that we need a more active lobby," he said. "When I joined the trade 10 years ago I saw some very pompous individuals shouting at the Government and getting nowhere so I would take real care developing a strong lobby. It may be very comforting to shout at them but it does no good at all."

Mr Tuppen said he felt the dialogue groups like the BBPA had developed with those in government had enabled the industry to win significant concessions on key issues over the last few years.