CAMRA urges Gov to ‘put tied tenants’ view front and centre’
Furthermore, the organisation has also called on tied tenants to share their pubs code views with an anonymous online survey.
The pubs code was introduced in 2017 in a bid to regulate and balance the relationship between tied tenants and their pub companies.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a review of how the legislation is working in practice, covering April 2019 to March 2022.
Government review
CAMRA claimed it was keen to ensure tied tenants’ views were at the front and centre in the second statutory review of the legislation.
Earlier this month (July), a BEIS committee meeting heard from voices across the sector on the usefulness of the code.
The introduction of the pubs code was the culmination of tied tenants’ years of campaigning but it was not delivered as intended, according to CAMRA chairman Nik Antona.
Views sought
He added: “It is vital tied tenants take part in the pubs code review and are able to be honest and open about where the code is working and more importantly, where it isn’t.
“Every time legislation concerning pub companies is proposed or reviewed, we see the inevitable slew of press releases and reports extolling the virtues of the tied model.
“While pub companies certainly offer services for tenants, it is vital tied tenants are given the opportunity to share views independently of their pub companies and with the option to remain anonymous if they wish, which our survey allows.
“We will be submitting the survey results to BEIS, alongside our formal submission, which will raise issues such as inflated dilapidations bills, guest beer rights and the necessary expansion of the remit of the code to include more tied tenants and types of operating agreements.”
