Search hots up for pubs code adjudicator

Applications for the role are now closed, with first round interviews set to be held in the coming weeks. However, there is a still a long wait before the identity of the new adjudicator is revealed, with an announcement not expected until January 2016.

Candidates will face a series of panel interviews with senior figures from the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), including public appointments assessor Olivia Grant, director of enterprise Katherine Courtney and Ombudsman Services chief Lewis Shand Smith.

The successful candidate will be paid £130,000 a year and hold a substantial budget of around £1.6m.

He or she will arbitrate disputes between tied tenants and their pub companies, investigate abuse of the code and recommend how much pubcos should pay in a levy each year.

The job specification surprised some in the trade earlier this year when it said knowledge of the sector would not be essential for the role, although campaigners said they would welcome a ‘fresh face’.

Good negotiation skills, leadership and the ability to build strong relationships were deemed essential.

Tenants have been urged to ensure they are fully aware of the adjudicator’s role and feel confident using it after grocery code adjudicator Christine Tacon said she had been ‘stunned’ by the ignorance of some in her sector.

The grocery sector adopted a statutory code of practice in 2010, and many looked to Tacon to see what challenges may lay ahead for the pub trade. Critics have accused Tacon of being ‘toothless’, sparking fears the pubs adjudicator could suffer from similar problems in the face of resistance from large pub companies.