'Free the British Pub Rally' to put pressure on pubco reform
The rally will consist of a debate on pub company reform from a panel including the Federation of Small Business (FSB), the Forum of Private Business (FPB) and CAMRA, as well as Labour MP and chair of the Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee, Adrian Bailey, Conservative MP and BIS Select Committee member, Brian Binley and Lib Dem chair of the Save the Pub Group, Greg Mulholland.
Before the rally, Bailey will put forward a motion for debate, on the floor of the House, calling on the Government to act on the back of the BISC report, which found the industry had failed to reform in line with the recommendations of the Select Committees previous three reports.
Mulholland said: “The BIS Select Committee final report on pub companies has clearly shown that pub companies have failed to self-regulate and so the Government must now legislate in line with the commitments that they themselves made, to stick to the promises of the last Government and to free up the great British pub and allow them to thrive and succeed once again.
“This will be a hugely significant day for the future of the British pub. The Free up the Pub Rally will provide an opportunity for MPs and licensees to put pressure on the Government to implement these much needed reforms, that they themselves have said they would implement should the select committee recommend they do so, by demonstrating the deep rooted problems that licensees are currently experiencing in the pub trade and the desperate need for the codes to be introduced on a statutory footing.”
CAMRA chief executive Benner added: “The small business people running tied pubs are just that: small businesses. They can be ill-equipped to deal with huge pub companies which often inflate rents, restrict choice and overestimate expected turnover while underestimating expected costs.
“This is why it’s perhaps no surprise that 46% of tied licensees are still earning less than £15,000 a year despite working day and night trying to make them succeed.”Tied tenant of the Rising Sun in Peak District will tell the rally that a rent increase of 60% would reduce the net income from the pub to less than £10,000 per annum which is not acceptable
GMB tied pub tenant Dave Mountford will also address the rally. He is contesting a demand for a 60% increase in rent for the Punch owned Rising Sun pub in Middleton near Matlock in Derbyshire.
The event will be held on Tuesday 22nd November from 6.15pm to 8pm in Committee Room 8 in the House of Commons Westminster.
