A spent force?

Licensed Victuallers' Associations (LVAs), once a mainstay of the pub industry, are suffering shrinking membership lists. Many fear they could soon be a thing of the past.

One of the latest to close its doors is Telford LVA in Shropshire. Former secretary Eddie Main says the "tough" decision came after membership dropped from a peak of 120 five years ago to just 30 last year.

"It's a sad state of affairs," he says. "We did all sorts of things to try to get people to join, but nothing worked."

Eddie, who has been taking the LVA's minutes since 1953, conjures up an attractive image of the body in its glory days - afternoons spent chatting to fellow publicans; rosy relations with the police - as the social crux of the pub community as well as an invaluable link to local authorities.

So, at a time when licensees need more support than ever, why are they ditching the LVAs in droves?

A tightening of purse-strings over the past 12 months has certainly played its part, says John Madden, executive officer of the Guild of Master Victuallers. But the roots of the demise go deeper.

The rise of managed chains and introduction of the Licensing Act in 2005 made redundant many of the LVA's key services, he says: "A number of things came in, including all-day opening. In the old days you would close the pub for the afternoon and go to the meeting, but now you have got to be on hand to run the pub.

"And the LVAs used to go to the magistrates courts to negotiate the extension hours for bank holidays - that's redundant now. So some licensees ask 'what's the point?'"

Tony Saxby, licensee of the Bat & Ball in Canterbury and chairman of the troubled local LVA, agrees that the traditional role has disappeared."It's a totally different marketplace than it used to be," he says. "There aren't as many traditional tenancies, as opposed to pub companies and leaseholds. It has become a dog-eat-dog situation."

Tony talks from bitter experience. After the Licensing Act came in, he re-launched his organisation with a snazzy website and packed programme of social activities, convinced new smoking and gambling laws meant the LVA would remain a relevant force in the industry.

But a year on from the revamp, he is preparing to dissolve the association. Tony says licensees do still need support and advice, but are turning to other sources to get it. A younger, computer-savvy generation of licensees can access information on the internet, without stumping up an annual membership fee. And national bodies are increasingly seen as better support mechanisms than local organisations.

"I've become a member of the BII and find it very useful," he says. "It is probably offering a lot more information and wider-scale support than the LVAs. The days of the local one - which was predominately social - are gone. People don't want the jollies or the race days. We have become dinosaurs."

But others argue there is still a place for the LVA - and that a crucial voice is lost if you depend solely on umbrella bodies.

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations (FLVA), says local and national organisations have to work together to represent licensees. In February, Barnsley Council shelved plans to ban smoking outside pubs after a meeting with the local LVA and FLVA, as well as the British Beer & Pub Association, showing how strong the combined force can be.

And despite the doomsday cries from some LVAs, Payne says they have a secure future if they put in the legwork and recruit hard. "There's only one way forward and that's knocking on pub doors," he says.

Time will tell whether there's still room at the inn.