Fresh push to rate community pub value

Pub campaigners have announced a second push to measure a pub's community value in financial terms.

Rick Muir, of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the group that wrote a report into the social value of pubs, said he had teamed up with the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) to assess 10 pubs across the country.

By February or March of 2011 Muir plans to have visited all 10 pubs in order to "accurately measure what importance they have on their community" in monetary terms.

He said the aim was to develop a "kitemark". He hopes pubs reaching this kitemark standard will be eligible for extra Government support, such as concessions on business rates.

"I hope to develop a spreadsheet which licensees can take, key in their own details and calculate the financial importance of their pub on their community."

A previous attempt to measure community pubs' value was abandoned due to lack of resources, Muir said.

He spoke to a meeting of the All-Party Save the Pub Group last week, at which 15 MPs attended.

Along with CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) chief executive Mike Benner, they updated the MPs, many of whom are new to Parliament, on issues that are affecting the trade.

They covered planning, the beer tie, red tape, rates and the smoking ban.

Group chairman Greg Mulholland MP said: "One thing the group agreed to do is to write to Government asking for the promised review into the smoking ban to happen. It's important to get an assessment of its impact on pubs."

According to Mulholland the group also "shared the feeling that the pace of reform on the tie from pubcos was too slow".

"We're still far from convinced that the pubcos will sufficiently reform themselves."

He will call on "both sides" to come and speak to the Save the Pub Group at upcoming meetings.