CAMRA to fight on after pubco ruling

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has vowed to "maintain pressure" on pubcos after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) once again ruled that the tie is not anti-competitive.

A survey of tied lessees and monitoring of the effectiveness of recent industry reforms, along with on-going lobbying of MPs and Government, are on the cards.

Last week the OFT said the pub sector "is competitive overall" and has "not found evidence of competition problems that are having a significant adverse impact on consumers". Therefore, there are "insufficient grounds to justify further OFT action".

CAMRA has two months to decide whether to appeal last week's judgement.

In the meantime, the group's head of public affairs, Jonathan Mail, promised to "maintain pressure" on pubcos prior to the Government's June 2011 deadline for change.

This includes monitoring the impact of the new pubco leases and codes of practice, the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme (PIRRS) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) guidance on rent setting.

"We will also be seeking the views of tied lessees about how the situation has changed. For example, has the differential between tied beer prices and beer prices overall declined over the past two years? And how do lessees feel about the tie?

"We will look at whether tied lessees will be worse off than those free-of-tie."

CAMRA will also be "continually lobbying" MPs, with the Business, Innovation & Skills Committee expected to hold hearings on the latest progress at the start of next year.

Mail added: "This is by no means the end of the road for our campaign."

He also gave a cautious welcome to news that the OFT could be axed, with its function absorbed into the Competition Commission.

"It could leave us with a competition system that could be more effective."