The Campaign for Pubs has reiterated the points in its Manifesto for Pubs a day ahead of the general election.
The manifesto lists the key policies that it says the incoming government needs to implement to support and save pubs, stop unnecessary closures, and help publicans and small brewers get through the cost-of-living crisis.
It incorporates the six key policies in the campaign’s Pledge for Pubs, published two weeks ago, but goes into full detail of the wider issues facing pubs and the areas where it says government can and must act.
The manifesto calls for:
- A change to planning law to stop the cynical buying and selling of pubs for development. This would include a community right to buy pubs, as part of a reformed Localism Act.
- A meaningful Pubs Code and genuine market rent only option to deal with ongoing abuse of the beer tie.
- Help to stop the raft of closures of small breweries, including an energy cap, and a Competition and Markets Authority review of the UK beer and pub sector, to deal with the anti-competitive dominance of giant brewers and pubcos.
“The Manifesto for Pubs lays out the key areas where the incoming UK government must act to support and save pubs,” said Campaign for Pubs chair Paul Crossman.
“This manifesto is written by publicans, pub experts, and campaigners, as well as small brewers, so it accurately reflects the real issues facing pubs and what is needed to support and save them.
“The entire policy approach to pubs needs to change after this general election. We now desperately need a government that is not in thrall to big business but instead places the emphasis where it needs to be, on supporting the dedicated small businesses that are the true wealth creators and innovators, as well as being vital community hubs.
“We need a government that will act to end to the systematic corporate profiteering and wealth extraction that continues to afflict thousands of pubs across the UK, and that will put real planning protection in place to end the pillaging of our remaining precious national pub stock by rapacious developers whose only interest is a quick profit.”
