Welsh AM: pubcos must give a bit back

A newly-elected Welsh AM has called on pubcos to give "a little bit back" and consider offers from communities for pubs before putting them on the open market.

Llyr Huws Gruffydd of Plaid Cymru, who represents North Wales, said he will write to large pubcos to see if they will give regulars the first chance to buy a pub being sold.

He told the Publican's Morning Advertiser "bringing back the pub as the hub of the community" would be a positive step forward as the trade battles against financial pressures and supermarket alcohol deals.

Gruffydd, pictured, has drawn on research from the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign, which shows pub numbers in Wales have dwindled at a similar rate to England since 2007.

Gruffydd said: "The biggest concern is all the 'for sale' signs going up outside pubs, and I think that before the properties go on the market communities should be made aware.

"One of the strengths of having a community-run pub is that it is more responsive to the needs of local people and I think that some pub companies have done very well out of some communities. I think the time has come for them (pubcos) to give a little bit back.

"Communities are picking up where the private and public sectors are failing, and more often than not they are better placed to run local services.

"I do not see why pubs should be any different, and often they are far more flexible in terms of a business model."

John Longden, chairman of Pub is the Hub, said: "We have been working closely with the Welsh Assembly and trying to encourage a co-operative movement that will help rural services in Wales.

"If pubs are going to be sustainable we have to encourage them to diversify. Communities need a lot of help in trying to decide if a pub is viable in the future and what the right model for running it would be.

"There's no one-fix solution at the moment."