The finance conundrum

Bank lending came under the nerve-shredding gaze of Business Secretary Vince Cable last week, and let's face it, the LibDem minister was not a happy chappy.

As well as slagging off capitalism for doing more harm than good to British businesses, Cable warned banks they face punitive penalties if they fail to unlock their massive vaults and start lending much-needed cash to companies - particularly small ones - up and down the country.

Ignoring the slight contradiction twixt these two statements, many such small businesses are pubs. Some are desperate to borrow development funds, yet at the very time when they want to grow and are armed with proven business plans, the doors are closed to them.

I spoke with one finance individual who works with a number of on-trade clients last week who said the banks he contacted in his line of work had effectively shut up shop. When it came to the pub trade, lending was a no-no, and it wasn't just the leased sector being given the thumbs down.

The current lending logjam is prompting some companies to look more to vehicles such as Enterprise Investment Schemes to raise cash. While not for everyone, at least these have investor-friendly tax benefits.

Yet not everyone has issues raising bank finance. Bigger operators - Wetherspoons and others - manage it, but they still have to pay through the nose for renewing their facilities. This is unlikely to change any time soon, especially since the economic situation could well get worse before it gets better.

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The knives were predictably out for Punch Taverns last week when it officially unveiled its new lease agreements, which are a step in the right direction, if not the move some were looking for. It seems nothing short of the Burton-based pubco - and its Solihull-located counterpart - entirely ceasing to exist will satisfy some critics.