It has been launched by 10 leading organisations, including CAMRA, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum for Private Business and licensees organisations with the aim of ensuring that the Government gives local pubs a fair deal to stop the overcharging by large pub owning companies.
The government has launched its consultation into the proposals for a statutory code and adjudicator with the stipulation that tied pubs are “no worse off than free of tie pubs”. The consultation ends on 14 June.
The Fair Deal for your Local campaign is calling for reform of the tied model operated by the large pub owning companies and believes the only way to ensure this happens is to include in the new code an option for the tied landlords of large companies to pay fair market rent only to the pub owning company (a ‘market rent only option').
The organisations behind the Fair Deal for Your Local campaign are:
- The Federation of Small Businesses
- The Guild of Master Victuallers
- CAMRA
- Fair Pint
- Pubs Advisory Service
- Forum for Private Business
- Licensees Supporting Licensees
- Justice for Licensees
- Licensees Unite the Union
Greg Mulholland, co-ordinator of the Fair Deal for Your Local campaign and chair of the Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, said: “It is high time we had a fair deal for our local pubs up and down the country. The Great British pub is a unique institution and important for communities, the economy and for tourism.
"We have lost too many of them due to the unfair business practices of the large pubcos. It is time Government stopped the overcharging by the pubcos. If they do, our hard working licensees can at last make a fair living which will not only save pubs, but will also be a huge boost for the economy locally and nationally."
Mike Benner, CAMRA’s chief executive, added: “CAMRA warmly welcomes the Government plans to stop large pub companies damaging Britain’s pubs by charging pub licensees high rents alongside inflated beer prices. As a consumer group we are delighted to throw our weight behind the Fair Deal for Your Local campaign”
Dawn Hopkins from Licensees Supporting Licensees, a Facebook group set up to support publicans across the UK, said: “We are all in the trade and fully understand from the grassroots the challenges facing publicans out there. These are tough times for any business, however when your business “partner” takes the lion’s share of any takings through unrealistic rent and hyper inflated prices for stock then your chances are not realistic.
"This unfair balance is, single handed, the biggest cause for pub failure in the present climate. This fails local communities and all pub goers in general. It is time for a change where no tied pub should be at a disadvantage to any free of tie pub.”