Lease renewals may be a new phenomenon, but with rent review
07-Nov-2002
Lease renewals are a new phenomenon in the pub industry and have only been around for a year or so. I receive numerous calls from licensees who...
Rebel MPs bid to obstruct licensing bill
07-Nov-2002
Local authorities could be granted sweeping powers to refuse licence applications if a group of rebel MPs get their way in Parliament.The government...
Doctors want smoking banned in all public places
07-Nov-2002
Doctors are calling for laws to ban smoking in all public places including pubs.The British Medical Association has published a report highlighting...
Tony Blair confirms licensing will be in Queen's Speech
07-Nov-2002
The Prime Minister has confirmed that plans to relax the licensing laws will be included in the Queen's Speech next week (November 13). Tony Blair...
Drinks companies blamed for underage drinking
06-Nov-2002
Drinks companies are being blamed for children as young as 11 drinking to excess.A new report by charity Alcohol Concern shows that one in five...
Minimum price fixing - a legal point of view
06-Nov-2002
Minimum price fixing has been ruled unlawful by the DTIby Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson...
Time for some DIY? The legalities for lessees
04-Nov-2002
by Richard Williams of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonHave you got a nasty feeling that your pub lease...
Profile: Andrew Coulter, business development director, Dowling Kerr
01-Nov-2002
Michelle Perrett talks to Andrew Coulter, business development director, Dowling Kerr.Do you think pub company policies of upward-only rent reviews...
Ancient inn has links with notorious hanging judge'
31-Oct-2002
An ancient inn believed to be the oldest in Wales and which is linked with the "Hanging Judge" Jeffreys, is on the market. The Skirrid Mountain Inn...
Cider with rosy future at Brandy Wharf Centre
31-Oct-2002
You'll not get a drop of ale or lager at a Lincolnshire riverside pub and yet it's still pulling in punters from far and wide. For the Brandy...
Police probe shooting
31-Oct-2002
Police inquiries are continuing into a shooting incident at a Midlands pub which left a man fighting for his life. Two gunmen burst into the Bagot...
Pub trade must present a united front on licensing reform
31-Oct-2002
The pub trade needs to present a united front to Parliament or it could shoot itself in the foot over licensing reform.Speaking at a conference run...
Edinburgh Council cracks down on doorstaff with convictions
31-Oct-2002
Edinburgh council is cracking down on doorstaff with convictions for violence and other offences.New guidelines will ban repeat offenders from...
Exiting licensees cash in on assignable pub leases
31-Oct-2002
Prices of assignable leases are rising as the UK pub market is witnessing a shortage of available freehold premises.While the larger pub chains are...
King Arthur bedrooms offer good knight's sleep at inn
31-Oct-2002
A 14th century inn and restaurant in Tintagel, Cornwall, is unexpectedly back on the market. The Olde Malt House, near Tintagel Castle supposedly...
Pub cleaner awarded £600 by tribunal after hours cut
31-Oct-2002
A north west pub cleaning lady has been awarded £600 by an employment tribunal following a ruling that she was effectively sacked when her hours...
Yorkshire Police back staggered closing
30-Oct-2002
Police and councillors in a Yorkshire town are convinced that longer opening hours would stop clashes between "huge gangs" of drinkers and...
Good Pub Guide author slams smoking charter
29-Oct-2002
The success of the industry's charter on smoking could be damaged by comments made in the latest edition of the Good Pub Guide.In the introduction to...
Property profile: David Gooderham, director, AG&G
28-Oct-2002
Michelle Perrett meets David Gooderham, a director of AG&G - licensed leisure property consultants.Do you think pubs are overpriced in the market...
Reform could switch live music off
25-Oct-2002
Campaigners have spoken out against proposals for licensing reform which they claim could mean the end of live music in pubs.There is concern that...
CAMRA: Big city closures due to developers
25-Oct-2002
Property developers and the booming property market are the major causes of the demise of the city centre pub according to the Campaign for Real Ale...
Chris Holmes believes market changes have turned his company
24-Oct-2002
His pubs, predominantly in the East Midlands, sell an average of 500-plus barrels of cask ale each year per pub, accounting for 90% of the draught...
Ministers fail to honour promise for extended New Year hours
24-Oct-2002
Government efforts to allow 36-hour opening over New Year have been described as "shambolic" after news that ministers have yet again failed to pass...
Government says no to duty cut
24-Oct-2002
The government says it has no intention of cutting duty on beer despite public support for an end to its current efforts to tackle the rising tide of...
Drugs: Policies and policing
23-Oct-2002
The proposed relaxation in the law concerning cannabis has led to confusion among customers and anger among licensees. Jackie Annett reports.With the...
MP slams demise of traditional pub
23-Oct-2002
The demise of the traditional pub has led to the growth in binge-drinking among teenagers, according to a Dudley MP.Ross Cranston, MP for Dudley...
GLA to probe Westminster City Council's licensing policy
22-Oct-2002
The Greater London Authority (GLA) is to investigate Westminster City Council's controversial licensing policy following a meeting with the Soho...
Off-licences caught selling alcohol to under-18s
22-Oct-2002
Off-licences in Lancashire have been caught out selling alcohol to children as young as 15.Four out of seven Wigan off-licences visited in a trading...
Manchester licensees accused of ripping off customers
21-Oct-2002
Licensees in Manchester have been accused of ripping off customers after two pubs were caught substituting cheaper spirits for more expensive...
Birmingham's new pubs and bars boom
18-Oct-2002
Birmingham's popularity is soaring as a location for new pubs and bars.Ten years ago Birmingham was the concrete city of the Midlands, characterised...
Read the smoke signals
18-Oct-2002
The industry has been accused of all sorts of things over its stance on smoking in pubs - not least dismissing concern over the effects of passive...
Police bar raids make solicitor uneasy
17-Oct-2002
by The PMA Team A leading licensing solicitor has questioned whether police time was well spent in a covert operation, called "Operation Sconcer",...
REFORM TIMETABLE PROMOTES DISSENT
17-Oct-2002
by The PMA Team The pub industry's two leading trade bodies, the British Beer & Pub Association and the Associa-tion of Licensed Multiple...
The Battle of Westminster
17-Oct-2002
Over the last two years, relations between the trade and Westminster City Council in London have been increasingly strained.The conflict stems from...
UK staff could sue employers over passive smoking
17-Oct-2002
Licensees in the UK face a growing threat of legal action by their staff over passive smoking following a test case in Canada.A Canadian waitress was...
Dealers told: keep drugs out of our pubs
17-Oct-2002
A new scheme which funds drugs awareness courses for licensees in Derby has proved so successful it may now be extended to other areas.Derbyshire...
After 15 years at the Old Hand & Diamond Inn in the village
17-Oct-2002
The rural freehouse is described by agent Christie & Co as of exceptional quality with an excellent reputation for good food. It has en-suite...
Hosts risk legal action over noise
17-Oct-2002
by Tony Halstead Licensees and bar operators could face compensation claims from staff if they can show excessive noise levels in pubs and clubs have...
House of Windsor among Devon duo changing hands
17-Oct-2002
Two Devon village pubs with a superb reputation for their community involvement and good food have been sold by Bettesworths. The Windsor Arms at...
Oh dear, I've found a smoking gun. DCMS admit it's theirs
17-Oct-2002
It's a claim, in Appendix 4 of the White Paper, that licensing costs the average pub £1,000 to £7,000 per annum. What?? We might pay that for a...
Modernising stamp duty
15-Oct-2002
by David Clifton of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonNothing in life is certain except death and tax - so...
Licencees need to be aware of new employment legislation
15-Oct-2002
Employment legislation is hitting the licensed trade harder than ever, according to specialist law firm Halliwell Landau.Legislation on the minimum...
Code of practice for gambling machines
14-Oct-2002
by David Clifton of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonThe government has revealed plans for reform of the...
Property profile: Konrad Szymanski, director, Humberstones
14-Oct-2002
Michelle Perrett talks to Konrad Szymanski, a director of Humberstones - a specialist agent and valuer for the licensed trade.What do you think are...
Licensees recruiting staff may have a useful new ally
11-Oct-2002
by David Clifton of thePublican.com's legal team of experts from London solicitors Joelson WilsonThe Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) opened for...
Avon and Somerset pubs to take extra measures to prevent drug use
11-Oct-2002
Publicans in Avon and Somerset are using new handheld drug detectors to help prevent illegal drug use on their premises.Licensees will be working...
Rates battler loses Hart and calls time
10-Oct-2002
Rates campaigner Jim Sharp, who has fought for years for the survival of rural pubs, has thrown in the towel and closed his own pub. Sharp, who twice...
OFT SKY INQUIRY DOOR STILL OPEN
10-Oct-2002
by The PMA Team The Office of Fair Trading has told the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers that the "door is not closed" in its investigation...
Migrant workers ruling welcomed
10-Oct-2002
by The PMA Team The British Hospitality Association has welcomed the decision by Home Secretary David Blunkett that the catering industry will be...
New details emerge of licensing reform plans
10-Oct-2002
Licensing minister Kim Howells has approved a timetable for the introduction of licensing reform.Following a series of high-level meetings in...