£130,000 salary for pubs code adjudicator

The adjudicator will arbitrate disputes between tied tenants and their pub companies, investigate abuses of the Code and recommend to the Secretary of State the amount of levy each year on pub-owning companies.

He or she will not employ staff directly but will be in charge of an estimated annual budget around £1.6 million.

Negotiation skills, leadership and the ‘ability to build and maintain effective relationships with the pub sector’ have been named by the Government as ‘essential’ for the post.

An understanding of UK law and of the pub and brewery industry is ‘desirable.’ CV’s from women and underrepresented groups will be particularly welcomed according to the job ad.

'Fresh face'​

Chris Wright of the Pubs Advisory Service welcomed the opportunity for a fresh take on the relationship between pubs and tenants.

"The role comes with a generous package and the PAS would hope that it would attract a number of quality candidates as a result. MRO is not a complicated issue and the Government will clearly be able to select someone from outside of the trade, we and our members would clearly welcome a “fresh face” free from any pubs trade associations, someone with an appreciation of natural justice and the confidence and ability to make swift decisions."

Lessons​

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds added: "It is important that the adjudicator is independent and has the right skills, as detailed in the appointment brief, in UK law, and specifically property, contract and commercial law and an understanding of property valuation. I see it as less important that they have an understanding of the pub and brewing industry or specifically, valuation of pubs.

"I hope the adjudicator will recognise the huge amount of work that has already been done and draw lessons from the ongoing self-regulatory structures, Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme and Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service, which will remain in place for smaller companies and I look forward to working with whoever takes on this new role."

Tenants were urged to ‘use or lose’ the adjudicator at a Pubs Advisory Service event held earlier this year, with solicitor Tom Birtwhistle warning that the government will be quick to scrap the role if it feels it is not being utilised by the industry.

The controversial code, which has been criticised by the major pub companies, must be in place by the end of June 2016. 

Simmonds said: “It is important that the adjudicator is independent and has the right skills, as detailed in the appointment brief, in UK law, and specifically property, contract and commercial law and an understanding of property valuation. I see it as less important that they have an understanding of the pub and brewing industry or specifically, valuation of pubs. I hope the adjudicator will recognise the huge amount of work that has already been done and draw lessons from the ongoing self-regulatory structures, Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme and Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service, which will remain in place for smaller companies and I look forward to working with whoever takes on this new role.