Two Independent Pub Confederation members snub new Pubs Regulatory Body
Simon Clarke and Karl Harrison, who are also part of Fair Pint, said that they refused an invitation to sit on the new Pubs Regulatory Body (PRB) board because they have “no faith whatsoever” in self-regulation.
It comes in a letter sent to the BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) by Clarke and Harrison, seen exclusively by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.
The new Pubs Regulatory Body (PRB) is to oversee the operation of the Pubs Independent Rent Review Service and the Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service (PICAS).
The letter said: "We have no faith whatsoever in the self regulatory mechanism. We are aware of no industry, or sector, where self regulation has worked and the feedback we are receiving in relation to past and active PICAS complaints and procedures do nothing to dispel our concerns."
They raised concerns with the aim of PRB, claiming that the objectives will not match the those of the Government's for the pub trade.
Simple commitments
"It is not currently, and seems will not be, a PICAS/PRB aspiration to deliver the commitments of 'fairness' and 'tied licensee no worse off than if they were free of tie' by self regulation," they wrote.
They quoted an opinion from legal firm DLA Piper which said the Framework Code of Practice "cannot be relied upon by individual tenants or lessees, whose contractual relationship is with the company [pub owning company]".
Clarke & Harrison also raised concern over how independent they believe the self regulatory scheme to be.
The letter concluded: "When PRB have clear legal recourse and share the same simple commitments as Government and the statutory code regime, I am sure IPC would be pleased to reconsider the position."
